Roundup: Tension escalates in Italy over terrorism alarms

Tension was high in Italy on Thursday following a warning from U.S. intelligence services that iconic venues of the Mediterranean country could be the targets of terrorists.

And tensions were increased after three suspicious bags were found in the subways of Rome and Milan.

Bomb disposal experts rushed to the scenes but found that the bags had been forgotten by passengers and were harmless. The same thing happened with one forgotten bag in Milan.

Normal service along two lines of the subway in Rome resumed later in the day.

The subway stations were close to St. Peter's Square in Rome and Duomo cathedral in Milan, which, along with the La Scala opera house in Milan, have been listed by the United States as being among the potential targets of Islamist terrorists in Italy following Friday's deadly attacks in Paris, according to a security message released by the U.S. embassy in Rome on Wednesday.

Other places to avoid included churches, theaters, hotels and restaurants, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said.

Meanwhile, Roberto Maroni, the president of Lombardy region of which Milan is the capital, called on the Italian government on Thursday to take extraordinary security measures for the opening night of the 2015-2016 season at La Scala opera house scheduled for Dec. 7.

Local media said 250 additional policemen had been deployed in Milan and metal detectors had been installed at the entrance of the iconic opera house, following the Paris attacks. Every year, the opening night is attended by Italy's top officials and famous personalities.

"Someone has suggested to postpone the La Scala opening night, but I am for it being held ... I will ask it to be a normal opening, like every year, though it is clear that security measures must be stronger than usual," Maroni was quoted as saying by Milan-based Il Giorno newspaper, confirming his attendance at the event.

Likewise, authorities in Rome said there was no question of cancelling the Catholic Church's Jubilee set to kick off on Dec. 8, though it could not be denied that there were tensions. Rome Prefect Franco Gabrielli said on Thursday that there would be no flight traffic over almost all of Rome during the event.

"The no-fly zone has been extended," Gabrielli was quoted as saying by ANSA news agency on the sidelines of the presentation of Rome's logo for the Jubilee. "There are zones of the capital, practically the whole city, that are forbidden to fly over for the whole period of the Jubilee," he pointed out.

On the same day, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi posted on his personal website that "every signal must be monitored, every check must be made, every alarm must be considered."

In the wake of the attacks in Paris, of which the most deadly was a shooting at the Bataclan concert hall, security at a Bob Dylan concert was tightened with metal detectors and sniffer dogs in Bologna, a city in northern Italy, where the American star performed on Wednesday night and was set to play again on Thursday before moving on to Milan for two nights of shows there. Endit