Roundup: Reflection about terrorism menace permeates Italy

Terrorism menace has become a frequent topic in Italy after the deadly attacks in France raised concern among the population and authorities that Islamic fundamentalists may see neighboring Italy as a next target.

Warnings that the Colosseum or Vatican City, two highly symbolic places in the heart of Rome, could be probable targets for an Islamist attack have alternated on the local press with reassurances that Italy's security systems are highly alerted and function well.

The stories of several foreign nationals, including an Albanian, a Kosovan and a Turkish who were ejected from the Mediterranean country after being found in possession of false identity documents or for having exalted terror attacks in the web also widely circulated in Italian media.

Italy has long since been a gate to Europe for waves of thousands of boat migrants from North African and Middle Eastern countries, which has further contributed to spark concerns about possible terrorist infiltrations.

On Friday, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said there was no evidence that Islamic fundamentalists have arrived in Italy by hiding among illegal migrants, one day after Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni warned there were "risks of infiltration, also remarkable, from immigration."

Meanwhile the government was set to approve new anti-terror measures next week expected to include tougher penalties for those who foster jihad activities, the withdrawal of the passports of foreign fighters and more powers for control of fundamentalists on the web.

"Enacting new anti-terror measures which give the state authority to punish foreign fighters will be a very good step," Germano Dottori, a member of the Observatory on Strategic Scenarios at Bologna-based think tank Nomisma and professor of strategic studies at LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, said.

"But equally important is to make any new measure last, because the terrorism menace will not last a week, or a month or a year. It will endure as long as there is an unrestrained situation in the Middle East and North Africa," he explained to Xinhua.

Though no concrete signals of imminent attacks have emerged so far, Italy has raised its terror threat alert level in recent weeks, tightening security measures around public offices, transport hubs, places of worship, broadcasters, embassies and monuments.

"Due to its position, Italy has always been more a transit country to Europe than a terrorist target, and in fact investigations have been carried out over production of false identification documents," Arturo Varvelli, head of Terrorism Program at Milan-based ISPI institute of international politics, told Xinhua.

Varvelli explained that Italy is already equipped with efficient anti-terror measures which especially include the traditional power of the judiciary to use phone-tapping, because of widespread corruption and mafia-type syndicates in the country.

But the problem of the so-called returning fighters from war zones also threatens Italy, and the Western world has its faults, he added.

"Anti-terror military campaigns in the Middle East and North Africa have been carried out by Western countries in the last 15-20 years without any political planning, which had the only effect to produce failed and unstable states, thus pave the way for proliferation of fundamentalism," Varvelli highlighted.

"This interference policy must be changed to make space for political dialogue," he told Xinhua. He noted that differently from neighboring European countries Italy has the advantage of a smaller presence of second or third generation migrants so far.

"The generations still have to grow up and build their identities, thus Italy has the key chance to raise them in the spirit of peaceful coexistence," Varvelli concluded. Endit