Italy is on a state of high alert for possible terrorist attacks during the final phase of the elections campaign. Voting is scheduled to take place on April 9 and 10, and it is feared that Islamic militants may strike immediately before voting to maximize its political impact. To compound the sense of anxiety, the Bush administration has just warned that Italy should expect terrorist attacks (similar to the ones that devastated Madrid two years ago) near the elections.This follows a warning by the Italian vice president of the European Commission, Franco Frattini, calling on the EU to "increase anti-terrorism intelligence operations," as "the recent al-Qaeda threats [referring to the March 5 Ayman al-Zawahiri video] are to be taken very seriously." Frattini further warned that "al-Qaeda is ready to strikeÂ…and Italy is at risk because of its solid alliance with the U.S." aka; The Great Satan
Referring to the imminent terrorist threat, Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino told the press on March 20 that "there is a risk of terrorist attacks as the election day approaches." Martino claimed that "what happened in Spain in 2004 suggests the risk exists." He then added that "if such an attack took place, no Italian citizen would ever ask for our troops to be immediately withdrawn from Iraq". This is a thinly veiled reference to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's decision to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq following the March 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid. Rock Solid Antonio!
The same day, daily newspapers reported that Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi had issued a new warning to Italy: "Fresh riots like those which rocked Benghazi are to be expected." Qadhafi added that "terrorist attacks could be launched on Italian soil because Rome has not yet admitted its responsibility as a former colonial power and Libyans are furious over the cartoons issue". While Libyan state-sponsored terrorism is no longer a credible threat, Qadhafi's statement highlights the very real threat posed by Libyan Islamic militants both to targets within Italy and Italian interests abroad. Is Mo still pissed about the Punic Wars in the third century BC?
Cartoons and Terrorism
The row over the cartoons ridiculing Prophet Muhammad reached a climax in late February with the assault on the Italian Consulate in Benghazi, which claimed at least nine lives. The Libyan protesters targeted the Italian Consulate for two reasons: first, Italian politicians (in particular Roberto Calderoli of the separatist Northern League) had been making inflammatory remarks in support of the Danish cartoons; second, as a former colonial power, Italy is held in suspicion by Libyan nationalists and Islamists alike.
The inflammatory remarks of Italian politicians You know, All that freedom of speech stuff. followed by Qadhafi's "warning" to Italy, which culminated in the bloody incident in Benghazi, sparked a diplomatic crisis between the two countries, diminishing bilateral relations to its lowest level in years. While this does not entail a direct terrorist threat, it does worsen Italy's already negative image to Islamic militants.
Moreover, in a videotape shown by al-Jazeera on March 5, Ayman al-Zawahiri made an explicit threat against Italy, while directly addressing the inflammatory remarks of Roberto Calderoli of the Northern League. "We renew our warning to Rome and Berlusconi: If Italy won't withdraw its troops from Iraq, it will dig its own grave there," al-Zawahiri threatened. Additionally, al-Zawahiri referred to the Madrid and London attacks as the template for any terrorist assault on Italy.
Furthermore, Noman Benotman, a former Libyan jihadist with extensive experience in Afghanistan and Sudan, gave an interview to Corriere della Sera on February 23, claiming that the "rage against Italy" is rising. "If Italy won't officially apologize and concretely help Libyan people socially and economically, it will be at risk of terrorist attacks, even in the long-term," Benotman warned. You can take the boy out of the Jihad but you canÂ’t take the Jihad out of the boy.
Rest at Link