An investigation by journalist Giulia Sorrentino for the national daily Il Tempo has revived concerns about Mohammad Hannoun, a Palestinian activist who has long operated in Italy and serves as president of three pro-Palestinian organizations: the Associazione dei Palestinesi in Italia (API), a political advocacy group; the Associazione Benefica di Solidarietà con il Popolo Palestinese (ABSPP), a charity that Italian and US officials have flagged as a front organization tied to Hamas financing; and Cupola d’Oro, a cultural and charitable association based in Liguria that raises funds and hosts community events.
The investigation reveals that Hannoun’s name also appears in a 1980s Italian intelligence document, prompting new questions about possible links to past terrorism and the implications for national security.
The context dates back to 1986, during a period marked by international terrorism and the lingering effects of the “Years of Lead,” a violent era of political extremism and terrorism in Italy that stretched from the late 1960s through the 1980s. Rome had already suffered attacks tied to Palestinian groups, including the Abu Nidal Organization. That group was blamed for some of the most violent episodes of the era: the massacre at the Rome Synagogue in 1982, the Café de Paris attack in 1985, and the assault on Fiumicino Airport that same year, which together left 17 dead and more than 200 injured.
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According to a partially declassified dossier by SISMI, Italy’s military intelligence agency, a “Mohamed Hannoun” was identified as head of the central information committee within Abu Nidal’s network. The document, declassified in 2014 under then-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, listed the name alongside other leading figures in the terrorist organization. Whether this is merely a case of mistaken identity or refers to the same Hannoun who now leads Palestinian advocacy and charitable groups in Italy remains unresolved.
The revelation has triggered political action. Federico Mollicone, a deputy from the ruling Fratelli d’Italia party, has submitted a parliamentary question to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Interior, Justice, and Defense ministries. He has requested urgent declassification of documents from the 1980s and further investigations by the Genoa Prosecutor’s Office to determine whether Hannoun today is the same individual named in the Abu Nidal dossier. If confirmed, Italian authorities could move to declare him persona non grata, reviving earlier but unsuccessful attempts to expel him.
The Il Tempo investigation also recalls how Hannoun was identified by the US Treasury Department as responsible for running charitable associations allegedly used to finance Hamas’ military wing. His network of political contacts in Italy includes figures from across the spectrum: Through ABSPP, politicians such as Stefania Ascari and Alessandro Di Battista of the Five Star Movement collaborated with him, while he has also been photographed with European Parliament member Gaetano Pedullà, Democratic Party deputy Laura Boldrini, Marco Furfaro, Nicola Fratoianni, and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese. His deputy, Sulaiman Hijazi, has also played a central role in maintaining these connections.
The unanswered questions, Il Tempo argues, make it urgent to clarify whether the Mohamed Hannoun mentioned in intelligence records and the activist at the center of Italian politics today are in fact the same person. Resolving this issue, it says, is not only about transparency but also a matter of national security.