Police Uncover WhatsApp Riot Chats Linked to Milan Clashes
Italian police carried out around 150 searches on 24 October 2026 after discovering WhatsApp messages discussing attacks on officers and public buildings, according to Euronews.
Investigators linked the messages to unrest in Milan on 17 and 18 October.
The investigation follows two separate lines of inquiry. Police in Monza and Brianza are examining threatening messages discovered on a teenager’s phone, while Milan prosecutors are investigating a researcher’s alleged involvement in organising and promoting the 17 October Movement.
WhatsApp Messages Reveal Threats Against Police
The Monza and Brianza Digos investigation began after officers discovered a message advising protesters not to put on their balaclavas immediately, apparently to avoid identification by police.
On 22 October, investigators searched the home of a teenager believed to have written the message, acting on a warrant from Milan’s juvenile prosecutor’s office. They recovered a balaclava and an Under Armour T-shirt believed to have been stolen during the looting.
A search involving another minor uncovered a second shirt of the same brand, also suspected of having been stolen.
Investigators examining the first teenager’s phone discovered a WhatsApp group with more than 230 members. According to Euronews, the conversations included references to knives, smoke bombs, firecrackers, attacks on police vehicles and the use of stolen weapons.
One message stated, “And we steal their weapons”. Another proposed, “Hey guys, if weβre going to protest, letβs set fire to a government building”.
Investigators also found discussions about stealing cars and targeting businesses, including references to a Gucci robbery and McDonald’s.
The conversations also mentioned demonstrations planned for 24 October. Police considered the possibility of further violence, prompting preventive searches intended to identify weapons and potentially dangerous participants before additional confrontations occurred.
Weapons Seized During Searches
The operation was coordinated by Italy’s Central Directorate of Preventive Police, with Digos units and Flying Squads conducting searches across several provinces. Investigators were seeking illegally held weapons and ammunition.
In Brianza, police examined 32 people across 16 municipalities, including Monza, Seregno, Giussano, Carate Brianza, Limbiate, Nova Milanese and Desio.
Officers seized folding and butterfly knives, knuckledusters, a telescopic baton, glass breakers, balaclavas, two blank-firing pistols without red safety caps and a hatchet bearing the number 1312. The number represents ACAB, an anti-police acronym.
The recovered items form part of the wider investigation into possible offences connected to the unrest. The discovery of threatening messages does not itself establish that every participant in the group committed a crime or acted on the proposals.
Researcher Faces Judicial Decision
Separately, Milan prosecutors are investigating 30-year-old researcher Youssef Siher over his alleged involvement in the 17 October Movement. He was detained on 24 October and faces allegations of incitement to commit crimes, aggravated by terrorist intent, and organised violence during public demonstrations.
Prosecutors allege that Siher runs the movement’s social media channels. The organisation was established following the clashes in central Milan, and investigators are examining his alleged role in promoting activities associated with the group.
Siher exercised his right to remain silent when questioned by preliminary investigations judge Tiziana Landoni at Milan’s San Vittore prison on 27 October.
Chief prosecutor Marcello Viola and prosecutor Francesca Crupi have requested that he remain in custody pending trial. They argue that there is a risk he could flee or commit further offences.
His lawyers, Benedetto Ciccarone and Yasmina Abu Sharar, deny that he incited violence or terrorism and have requested his release.
Landoni is expected to decide by 28 October whether to validate Siher’s detention and authorise continued custody. The decision will determine his immediate legal position while investigators continue working to identify other people potentially responsible for offences arising from the Milan unrest.
