Italy fears lone terrorist attacks

Italian authorities fear lone terrorist attacks amid rising tensions in the Middle East and are stepping up security preparedness at museums, concerts and sporting events. This was stated by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi at a press conference after a national security meeting.

According to intelligence, Italy is not particularly exposed to the threat of terrorism, so it remains among Western countries that have not yet suffered a single Islamist attack. This circumstance increases fears of terrorist attacks.

The Italian Ministry of the Interior indicates that special attention is being paid to the Balkan migration route, through which extremists and jihadists can infiltrate. Matteo Piantedosi recalled that border controls with Slovenia were reintroduced on October 21, 2023. Since then, more than 1,300 people have been refused entry at the border and 120 have been arrested.

Islamic cultural centers and places of worship, prisons where Muslim prisoners could be radicalized, and foreign fighters returning fr om battlefields in the Middle East are being monitored, the minister assured. Social media are also under scrutiny, seeing a surge in anti-Western and anti-Israel posts, he added.

The city of Naples and the island of Capri, wh ere the G7 foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on April 17, are on high alert.