He had built himself a new identity and, under that false name, had even applied for international protection in Italy. But behind those documents, investigators say, was a 21-year-old Iranian man wanted internationally by British authorities for a long string of serious crimes committed between 2022 and 2025.
His run ended in Riccione, where Carabinieri officers tracked him down and arrested him under a provisional arrest warrant for extradition purposes, issued by the United Kingdom and circulated through Interpol channels.
It was the Scip, the International Police Cooperation Service (Servizio per la Cooperazione Internazionale di Polizia), that put officers on the young man’s trail, flagging his possible presence along the Romagna Riviera. Carabinieri from the Riccione Company then launched a search that led to the 21-year-old’s identification.
During the check, however, something didn’t add up. The young man produced documents bearing Iraqi personal details. Under that same identity, he had filed an application for international protection and had even obtained a temporary residence permit.
Carabinieri officers dug deeper into the case. Photo comparisons and further checks allowed them to establish his real identity: that of an Iranian national who was the subject of the international warrant.
According to UK authorities, the 21-year-old is allegedly involved in more than ten criminal episodes committed between 2022 and 2025. The charges include multiple instances of sexual violence, including against minors, production of child sexual abuse material, breaches of court-imposed restraining orders, and drug trafficking.
His name also surfaces in connection with the British investigation known as “Operation Barracan,” which targeted a criminal organisation that, according to British investigators, has been involved in the sexual abuse and exploitation of minors and active in Bristol since 2023. The young man is identified as one of the key figures implicated in the probe.
Once his identity was confirmed and the validity of the international warrant verified, the 21-year-old was placed under arrest.
He was taken to Rimini prison to await the extradition process to the United Kingdom. The Prosecutor General at the Bologna Court of Appeal requested that the arrest be validated and that he be held in pre-trial detention.
The requests were fully granted by the judge during the validation hearing. The 21-year-old therefore remains in custody as proceedings continue that could see him sent back to the United Kingdom, where he is wanted to answer the serious charges against him.
The charges outlined above are allegations, and until any definitive conviction, the presumption of innocence applies.
