ITALY: Just three days away from the general election, tension was heightened in Italy yesterday when interior minister Giuseppe Pisanu announced that planned terrorist attacks in Milan and Bologna had been thwarted, writes Paddy Agnew in Rome
Speaking at an election rally in Cagliari, in Sardinia, the minister confirmed media reports last month about an Islamic terrorist threat to Italy.
"Now I can say it. There were plans for a terrorist attack in our country but it was thwarted thanks to the preventative work of our security forces," he said.
The minister confirmed that the planned attacks had been meant to hit both the Milan underground system and the 14th century church of San Petronio in Bologna. It is believed the Bologna church may have been a target because it contains a fresco of the prophet Muhammad burning in hell, inspired by Dante's epic poem, The Divine Comedy.
Mr Pisanu gave no details as to either the timing of the attack or the identity of those responsible for its planning, saying only that seven people were involved. Three of the suspects have been expelled from Italy, he said, while two are currently being detained, a sixth is under observation and a seventh man is still being sought.
Italy has been on high alert from the beginning of the electoral campaign, fearing an attack similar to the March 11th, 2004 bombings in Madrid, just days before Spanish elections. Last month, a US state department travel alert warned US citizens that Italy "continues to be under heightened public threat from al-Qaeda" because of its involvement in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Italy has the fourth-largest contingent of foreign troops in Iraq.
For his part, prime minister Silvio Berlusconi did little to cool the atmosphere yesterday when convening a news conference at which he accused the judiciary and the media of endangering democracy in Italy. Pointing out how Milan magistrates last month asked that he be brought to trial on charges of having paid a $600,000 (€490,000) bribe to British lawyer David Mills in return for favourable testimony, Mr Berlusconi accused the judiciary of using their powers "to persuade citizens to vote for someone during an election campaign".
As for the media, he claimed that freedom in Italy was "at risk" after he had been prevented from giving a prime-time interview on Wednesday night on one of his own television stations. Centre-left leaders protested vigorously that such an appearance was in breach of the strict par condicio (equal conditions) campaign rules.
"I will never surrender to the left," said Mr Berlusconi, perhaps inadvertently acknowledging all the final opinion polls which, two weeks ago, gave the centre-left a three- to five-point lead.