ROME, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Italian police on Saturday arrested three Tunisian men accused of associating for purposes of international terrorism, local media reported.

The warrants were issued following an investigation coordinated by prosecutors in the northern city of Turin.

The three suspects named as Nafaa Afli, 27, Bilel Mejri, 26, and Marwen Ben Saad, 31, were arrested following an investigation code-named "Taliban", Turin-based La Stampa newspaper reported.

The men arrived in Turin in 2015. They requested study visas, enrolled in the public university, and obtained scholarships based on false statements, according to the report.

Instead of attending classes, they became drug traffickers, praised the so-called Islamic State (IS) terrorist group on their Facebook profiles, and "shared jihadi propaganda material on the internet", La Stampa wrote.

As well, the three allegedly attended a meeting in the Tunisian capital held by a terrorist group affiliated with IS, according to the report.

The paper also published a police video with surveillance photos of the three suspects, along with pro-IS propaganda found on their social media profiles.