Young man landed in Rome wearing Islamic clothing. Scene provoked heated discussion in Italy
The rescue of Silvia Romano, who was kidnapped in Kenya for 17 months, and who was released in Somalia this Saturday (09), is featured in the Italian news.
But the freedom of the young 24-year-old Italian volunteer has provoked heated discussion among Italians and is in trending topics from Twitter.
All because she landed this Sunday at Ciampino Airport in Rome – and was greeted by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte – wearing an Islamic outfit that covered her entire body, except for her face.
Upon disembarking, the young Milanese woman said she was well, physically and mentally, and very happy. “Now I just want to be with my family.”
She had converted to Islam, but her family was unaware of the fact, according to sources linked to the investigation into the young woman's kidnapping.
“I hope her conversion is spiritual, which must be absolutely respected. We just need to believe that, by saving an angel, we are not repatriating a devil”, published Italian Flora Doronzo.
Investigators speculated that her possible adherence to Islam could be the result of “the psychological conditions in which she found herself during the kidnapping.”
“It’s clear that something else happened in Somalia, this girl suffered the pains of hell,” wrote Sara Cabrini.
But hours later, Romano herself confessed: “I was not forced to marry, converting to Islam was my spontaneous choice”, according to publication in Corriere della Sera.
“I don’t understand why they brought her back if she was fine there”, published Emanuela Questorino.
Romano was a volunteer with the NGO Africa Milele and had been kidnapped on November 20, 2018, when an armed commando invaded the village of Chakama, on the coast of Kenya. No one claimed the kidnapping, but the main suspicion always fell on Somali terrorists linked to the jihadist group Al Shabab.
She was rescued on the outskirts of Mogadishu, in an operation conducted by the intelligence services of Italy, Somalia and Turkey, which have close links with the African country. Italian authorities, however, did not provide further details on how the rescue was carried out.
It is estimated that Italy paid between two and 4 million euros to carry out the rescue operation.
