Turin court orders release of imam who supported Hamas attack on Israel

The Turin Court of Appeal has decided to release from custody the imam of the mosque Omar ibn Khattab Muhammad Shaheen, who supported the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The court ruled that he did not pose a security threat.

At a demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinians on October 9, 2025, he said that the Hamas attack on Israel was “an act of resistance against the Zionist occupation.” At the end of November, the clergyman, a native of Egypt, was taken into custody.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi signed a decree ordering his deportation. Shahin was placed in the Caltanisetta prison in Sicily. A wave of demonstrations in his support swept across Italy, often ending in clashes with the police.

The residence permit issued to Shahin remains cancelled. The issue of deportation will be decided by the administrative court of Turin with the possibility of appeal.

Italian human rights activists say that if he returns to Egypt, he faces torture. They claim that the decision was made bypassing the legal process. At the same time, representatives of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party noted: “There is no place for supporters of Islamic extremism in Turin – just like in the rest of Italy.”