Macedonian Alleged IS Recruiter Arrested in Italy

A Macedonian man suspected of recruiting jihadists for the Islamic State (IS) group was arrested on Friday in north-east Italy, police said.

The suspect, detained near Venice, was "in charge of selecting and recruiting aspiring jihadists... who were then to be passed on to a Bosnian imam to be radicalized, enrolled in a terrorist organization and transferred to a Middle Eastern war zone," investigators said.

Two other Macedonians were recently expelled from Italy over their alleged involvement in a jihadist recruitment drive.

The pair are among dozens of suspected Islamist radicals to have been banished from the country over the past year.

Italy appears to have less of a problem with homegrown jihadists than the likes of France or Belgium, with only a small number of Italians estimated to have traveled to Syria to fight alongside IS or other groups.