Italy targets network 'inspired by Al-Qaeda'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 24 April 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Italy targets network 'inspired by Al-Qaeda', 24 April 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5565ba3515.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 24, 2015
Italian police have launched an antiterrorist operation against a network they said was inspired by Al-Qaeda and had its operational base on the island of Sardinia.
According to a statement by the police, the group had "an abundant amount of weapons and numerous faithful willing to carry out acts of terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan before returning to Italy."
Chief Prosecutor Mauro Mura, speaking at a news conference in the Sardinian capital Cagliari, said the suspects may have been planning an attack on the Vatican in 2010 that was never carried out.
He said that wiretaps gave "signals of some preparation for a possible attack" at the Vatican.
On April 24, arrest orders were issued for 18 suspected members. Some of the suspects were arrested, including the network's spiritual leader, but others are believed to have left Italy, authorities said.
Two of the suspected men are believed to have been part of a group that protected Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during his time in hiding.
According to police, some of the men are suspected of being behind an October 2009 car bomb explosion at a market in Peshawar, which left more than 100 dead, many of them women and children.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
