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| Italian officials wrote to UK about Youssef Zaghba, says prosecutor | Italian officials wrote to UK about Youssef Zaghba, says prosecutor |
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| An Italian prosecutor who led an investigation into the London Bridge attacker Youssef Zaghba has insisted that Italian officials did send their UK counterparts a written warning about the risk he posed last year and monitored him constantly while he was in Italy. | An Italian prosecutor who led an investigation into the London Bridge attacker Youssef Zaghba has insisted that Italian officials did send their UK counterparts a written warning about the risk he posed last year and monitored him constantly while he was in Italy. |
| Giuseppe Amato, the chief prosecutor in Bologna, who investigated Zaghba when he tried to travel from Italy to join Islamic State in Syria in March 2016, told the Guardian that information about the risk he posed was shared with officials in the UK. | Giuseppe Amato, the chief prosecutor in Bologna, who investigated Zaghba when he tried to travel from Italy to join Islamic State in Syria in March 2016, told the Guardian that information about the risk he posed was shared with officials in the UK. |
| Amato added that he personally saw a report that had been sent to London by the chief counter-terrorism official in Bologna about the Moroccan-born Italian citizen. | Amato added that he personally saw a report that had been sent to London by the chief counter-terrorism official in Bologna about the Moroccan-born Italian citizen. |
| “We did our best. We could just monitor and surveil him and send a note to British authorities, that’s all we could do. And we did it,” Amato said. “Since he moved to London, he came back to Italy once in a while for a total of 10 days. And during those 10 days we never let him out of our sight.” | “We did our best. We could just monitor and surveil him and send a note to British authorities, that’s all we could do. And we did it,” Amato said. “Since he moved to London, he came back to Italy once in a while for a total of 10 days. And during those 10 days we never let him out of our sight.” |
| The claims will increase the pressure on the British security services to explain how they failed to stop the terror plot that killed eight people on Saturday night at London Bridge and Borough Market. The government has already admitted that another of the attackers, British citizen Khuram Butt, 27, was known to the police and MI5 and they had opened an investigation into him in 2015, before moving his case into the lower echelons of 3,000 terrorism suspects. | The claims will increase the pressure on the British security services to explain how they failed to stop the terror plot that killed eight people on Saturday night at London Bridge and Borough Market. The government has already admitted that another of the attackers, British citizen Khuram Butt, 27, was known to the police and MI5 and they had opened an investigation into him in 2015, before moving his case into the lower echelons of 3,000 terrorism suspects. |
| Scotland Yard said on Tuesday that Zaghba “was not a police or MI5 subject of interest”. | Scotland Yard said on Tuesday that Zaghba “was not a police or MI5 subject of interest”. |
| MI5 did not regard him as being important enough to replace others on its priority list. The prime minister on Tuesday said police and the intelligence agencies would carry out a review into whether they could have prevented the London attack. | MI5 did not regard him as being important enough to replace others on its priority list. The prime minister on Tuesday said police and the intelligence agencies would carry out a review into whether they could have prevented the London attack. |
| Zaghba moved to London about 18 months ago and was working in a restaurant in the east of the city. But he periodically returned to his mother’s home in a picturesque hamlet about 15 miles outside Bologna. His mother, Valeria Collina, said he had become friends with Butt and the third attacker, Rachid Redouane, 30. | Zaghba moved to London about 18 months ago and was working in a restaurant in the east of the city. But he periodically returned to his mother’s home in a picturesque hamlet about 15 miles outside Bologna. His mother, Valeria Collina, said he had become friends with Butt and the third attacker, Rachid Redouane, 30. |
| Amato said that Zaghba returned for a total of 10 days and during those trips Italian counter-terrorism officers had put a tail on Zaghba and “followed him and surveilled every move”. | Amato said that Zaghba returned for a total of 10 days and during those trips Italian counter-terrorism officers had put a tail on Zaghba and “followed him and surveilled every move”. |
| Amato also confirmed reports from Italian sources on Tuesday that Zaghba had been placed on a Europe-wide watch list, known as the second generation Schengen information system. | |
| “He was definitely on a list of suspected terrorists and that list could have been accessed by the British,” he said. | “He was definitely on a list of suspected terrorists and that list could have been accessed by the British,” he said. |
| According to reports in the Italian press, citing security sources, Zaghba told officials at Bologna airport when he was stopped trying to fly to Istanbul: “I am going to be a terrorist.” | According to reports in the Italian press, citing security sources, Zaghba told officials at Bologna airport when he was stopped trying to fly to Istanbul: “I am going to be a terrorist.” |
| MI5’s remit is to keep tabs on jihadis, not criminals, but the Schengen information system is a huge database that includes not just suspected jihadis but a large pool of criminals or missing people. | MI5’s remit is to keep tabs on jihadis, not criminals, but the Schengen information system is a huge database that includes not just suspected jihadis but a large pool of criminals or missing people. |
| “I’m not blaming anybody,” said Amato. “I don’t know the details of the investigation in London. I can just say the Italians did everything they could. We monitored him while he was here and our officers had alerted the British authorities.” | “I’m not blaming anybody,” said Amato. “I don’t know the details of the investigation in London. I can just say the Italians did everything they could. We monitored him while he was here and our officers had alerted the British authorities.” |
| MI5 declines to comment on claims about intelligence sharing. Both the British and Italian intelligence agencies have long lists of potential suspects but have different priorities over who poses the highest risk and how to deploy limited resources. | MI5 declines to comment on claims about intelligence sharing. Both the British and Italian intelligence agencies have long lists of potential suspects but have different priorities over who poses the highest risk and how to deploy limited resources. |
| In the UK, officials say they are dealing with 23,000 people who are or have been “subjects of interest” with regards to potential terrorism, of whom 3,000 are under active investigation. In Italy, the numbers are smaller. There are around 10,000 potential jidahis, 1,000 of whom are classified as subjects of interest under “red” surveillance. | In the UK, officials say they are dealing with 23,000 people who are or have been “subjects of interest” with regards to potential terrorism, of whom 3,000 are under active investigation. In Italy, the numbers are smaller. There are around 10,000 potential jidahis, 1,000 of whom are classified as subjects of interest under “red” surveillance. |