Security Minister Patrícia Bullrich said that suspect David Nazareno belongs to a “global network of hatred and destruction”
The Argentine Security Minister, Patrícia Bullrich, announced this Tuesday (14 January 2025) the arrest of David Nazareno Ávila, an alleged militant linked to the extremist group Islamic State. The operation lasted 9 months with the collaboration of the Argentine Naval Prefecture, the National Directorate of Criminal Intelligence and the FBI.
Speaking to journalists, the minister said that Ávila lived in General Roca, in the province of Rio Negro, which made the search difficult as it was a small town.
The suspect’s objective would be “recruit young Argentines who would serve as cannon fodder for these terrorist organizations”citing the Islamic State as an example.
Among the materials analyzed during the investigation, the police found Islamic Jihad propaganda, manuals for manufacturing explosives and links to international extremist networks.
Bullrich said that the militant’s focus would be to disseminate among young people that the Argentine government was “Zionist” and that “I had to pay for this condition”.
“We foiled their plans before they could cause harm […] We are convinced that, as Milei says, evil advances when the good guys do nothing. We show that we are standing, that we can monitor and track threats”these.
Ávila was active on social networks such as TikTok and Instagram to “spreading the ideology of hate”. According to authorities, it was a “terrorist converted to Islam” to Argentina.
Milei & Jews
His arrest took place on the same day that Argentine president, Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza, right), received a “Jewish Nobel Prize” for his support of Israel. Here is the announcement about the honor (PDF – 552 kB, in English).
The committee that awarded the prize, Genesis Prize Foundation, said Milei had a “commitment to Israel” due to the country’s stance on UN (United Nations) decisions.
