Police in Rome have identified up to 6 000 potential targets of a terrorist attack, which are being kept under close surveillance by security forces, the city’s police chief was quoted as saying on Wednesday, as a terror group’s August 15 deadline neared for Italy to withdraw its troops from Iraq.
”There are between 5 000 and 6 000 sensitive sites in Rome. We are keeping under surveillance rail stations, embassies, churches, institutions and airports,” police chief Achille Serra told the daily Il Messaggero.
”The fact is that the terrorists have the advantage of knowing if, how and when they are going to strike. And that’s not a slim advantage,” he said.
Rome is also home to the walled Vatican City, the headquarters of the Catholic Church, considered a prime terrorist target.
”We have deployed all possible means of prevention. But we are also asking the population to be alert for any suspect situation. There will certainly be false alerts but I prefer that than to neglect possible dangers.”
Serra’s interview appeared as police temporarily cleared a terminal building at Rome Fiumicino airport early on Wednesday after a passenger’s shoes set off metal-detector alarms.
Tension has risen in recent days after repeated threats by the shadowy Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades to begin a bombing campaign after a Sunday deadline for Italy to withdraw its troops from Iraq expires.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been a high-profile supporter of the United States-led ”war on terrorism” and Italy maintains a contingent of nearly 3 000 troops in southern Iraq as part of a peace-enforcement effort.
Serra asked the general population as well as the security forces to remain alert for any suspicious circumstances but said the general air of caution should not disrupt normal daily life in the city.
”If it was otherwise, the terrorists would already have won their war,” the police chief said.
Overall, Italy considers about 13 000 sites around the country to be potential targets for a terrorist attack and the Interior Ministry said earlier this year that 23 000 police officers had been deployed to ensure security at tourist sites as well as institutions. — Sapa-AFP