Rawti Shax or Didi Nwe (Kurdish: ڕەوتی شاخ) ("new course" or "towards the mountain") is a Kurdish dark web-based offshoot of the Kurdish jihadist group Ansar al-Islam. In October 2015, seventeen members, including the suspected leader, Norway-based Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad "Mullah Krekar" (the original leader of Ansar al-Islam), were arrested or indicted in a coordinated, Italy-led multi-nation sweep by police across Europe. The operation dismantled an integrated cell in Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Switzerland.
The network was accused of radicalizing and recruiting fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), plotting attacks targeting Norwegian and British diplomats in the Middle East, and making preparations to establish a caliphate in Iraq's Kurdistan region. It was also suspected of operating its own military training camps. The Italian anti-terrorism chief Giuseppe Governale said that the operation was "the most important international police operation in Europe in 20 years".
Arrests and warrants
A total of seventeen people, all except one Iraqi Kurds, were arrested or indicted in the raids; seven in Italy, four in the United Kingdom, three in Norway, two in Finland and one in Switzerland. 26 properties were searched in total, including in Germany, where officials seized electronic devices and documents. In March 2016 all suspects in the United Kingdom were released without charges, after winning a court case that being extradited to Italy "breached human rights".
Arrested in Italy:
Abdul Rahman Nauroz, 36, Merano, suspected operative leader of the network, arrested in prison, trained at least five jihadists who travelled to Syria and Iraq
Eldin Hodza, 26, Merano, Kosovo Albanian, trained with jihadists in Syria financed by Italian ringleader in 2014
Auch Mohamad Goran Fatah, 29, Merano, admitted contact with other indicted, allegedly in leadership circle
Hama Mahmood Kaml, 30, Merano, driver for a transport company, ISIL-sympathiser
Ali Salih Abdullah, 38, Bolzano, communications with Italian ringleader
Ibrahim Jamal, 31, Bolzano, nicknamed "Hitler", fought with ISIL in 2012, previously lived in England, spread jihadist propaganda and talked about the need for terrorist attacks in Europe or against European interests as well as to free Krekar from prison
Hasan Samal Jalal, 36, Bolzano, suspected to be ready to commit terrorist acts
Arrested in Norway:
Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad "Mullah Krekar", 59, suspected leader of the network, arrested in prison, original leader of Ansar al-Islam, allegedly pledged support to ISIL in 2014
Karim Rahim Twana, 38, Fredrikstad, Norwegian citizen, open supporter and close associate of Krekar
Kamil Jalal Fatah, 42, Drammen, Iraqi citizen, visits to Krekar in prison, communications with Italian ringleader
Arrested in the United Kingdom:
Zana Rahim, 32, Derby, son-in-law of Krekar, Norwegian residence permit, key messenger for Krekar
Awat Hamasalih, 33, Birmingham, linked to Anjem Choudary, previously lived in Turkey and expelled from Finland
Bakr Hamad, 38, Kingston-upon-Hull, former member of Ansar al-Islam, plotted to kidnap the British ambassador to Rome
Sharif Kadir, 52, Sheffield, arrest warrant was later pulled by Italian authorities
Arrest warrants in Finland:
Male, leader in Finland, joined ISIL, presumed killed in battle in December 2014
Male, joined ISIL, presumed killed in battle in March 2014
Arrest warrant in Switzerland:
Male, joined the Al-Nusra Front in Syria in June 2014
The network was in addition believed to have cells in Sweden, Greece, Syria, Iran and Iraq.
