Italy arrests 'IS teen' with links to Vienna attacker

Police in Italy arrested a 19-year-old Italian-Kosovar woman on Wednesday accused of belonging to the Islamic State group, who was said to be "willing to become a martyr" and had ties to the Vienna attacker.

The woman, identified only by the initials B. T., was married to a Kosovar related to gunman Kujtim Fejzulai, who killed four people in the Austrian capital last year before being shot dead by police, the interior ministry said.

B. T., who had been radicalised aged 16, had recently moved from Kosovo to Milan, but had remained in constant contact with her husband and fellow IS supporters back home, it said.

Police found jihadist material on her phone, along with photographs of known IS attackers.

They also identified more than 2 000 messages on chat groups offering material and ideological support for IS, and said B. T. had been messaging with "wives of fighters", in some cases offering advice for newcomers.

One message released by police said:

Another hailed the decapitation in France of teacher Samuel Paty in October last year, saying it was "a lesson for all other teachers. He deserved it!"

Police released an audio recording in which they said the woman could be heard singing her allegiance to IS and stating her readiness to sacrifice her life.

"She declared herself willing to become a martyr", Milan prosecutor Alberto Nobili told a press conference, describing the woman's messages as "chilling".