ROME (AP) – The mystery over the migrant-turned-suspect in Tunisia’s Bardo Museum massacre intensified Thursday amid questions about his movements after arriving in Italy with a boat full of rescued refugees a month before the attack.
As Italian officials defended their handling of Abdelmajid Touil, indications pointed to his presence in Italy in the days before and after the March 18 massacre. The mayor of Trezzano sul Naviglio, Fabio Bottero, said Touil is listed as having been present at his twice-weekly Italian lessons March 16 and March 19.
Touil was arrested on Tuesday on a Tunisian arrest warrant at the home of his mother in Gaggiano, near Milan, on accusations that he helped plan and execute the attack, which killed 22 people.
Interior Minister Angelino Alfano insisted before Parliament on Tuesday that there were no terrorism-related concerns about Touil when he arrived Feb. 17 with about 90 other migrants who had been rescued at sea. His comments were aimed at defusing criticism from anti-immigrant politicians that Islamic extremists were slipping into Italy via migrant boats to plot attacks.
Alfano said that Touil was fingerprinted and photographed, as is routine for newly arrived migrants – identifications that then helped police positively identify him when they arrested him Tuesday. He had been ordered expelled, as is routine, but authorities lost all trace of him until Tuesday.