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Arrests trigger Italy terror alert
Italy's National Security Committee is reviewing security at sensitive sites, amid fears that five Moroccans arrested this week were planning terrorist attacks. The men, detained for illegal possession of explosives, are suspected of having links to extremist groups elsewhere in Europe. Police found maps with Nato bases in northern Italy and a plan of central London during the arrests south of Venice. Italian authorities are now considering how best to secure their military sites, as well as prominent historical sites such as the leaning tower of Pisa. And all those cathedrals. They were erected to celebrate the glory of God, after all. That makes them legitimate targets for Islamists... The arrest of the five suspects was approved by the investigating judge and they have now been remanded in custody, say reports. The BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner, says if the men had been plotting an attack, it is more likely that it would have taken place in Italy than in London. The map of central London did not have any targets marked but other maps showed a Nato base in Verona where targets had been ringed. Officers found a kilogram (2.2 lb) of explosives in the building where the men were staying in the northern city of Rovigo, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south-west of Venice. "Mahmoud, these Italians have some really funny tasting cheese..." Our correspondent says the powerful C4 explosive discovered is the same type as that used in the Bali bombing in October and could only be accessed through military sources. But, he says, if the men were indeed planning any attack, it would not be particularly sophisticated and certainly nothing on the level of the 11 September operation. Either that, or the kilo of C4 was only a sample, or to be used as the detonator for a truckload of fertilizer... Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-01-26 |
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