Roundup: Italian counter terrorism police arrest Algerian suspect

An Algerian national has been arrested in southern Italy on suspicion of being linked to the Islamist terrorism network and will be extradited from Italy to Belgium, the local press said on Sunday.

The man, named Djamal Eddine Ouali, was stopped by police at a bus station near the coastal city of Salerno, in southern Italy, la Repubblica newspaper reported. He was about to get on a bus, but did not resist police, the newspaper added.

According to investigators, the Algerian was involved in a network which produced false documents, some of which might have been used by the Islamist fundamentalists related to the Paris and Brussels deadly attacks.

"We have observed disquieting links with the terrorist organization," Salerno police chief Alfredo Anzalone was quoted as saying by AGI news agency. The 40-year-old Algerian, who has declined to answer police inquiries so far, will be extradited from Italy to Belgium whose authorities issued a European arrest warrant, Anzalone said.

The name of the man had first appeared in October 2015 when authorities in Brussels seized near 1,000 photos of fake identity document. Italian police reportedly ascertained Ouali's identity by combining his pictures with those from the Belgian police when he, about two weeks ago, made a request to police in Salerno to have a residence permit and remain in Italy with his family.

According to Corriere della Sera newspaper, Italian counter terrorism experts were now at work to ascertain how long Ouali lived in Italy and whether he had used other alias to avoid capture.

His request for a residence permit might have been due to the fact that he did not know he was being wanted, or he might have arrived in Italy under an assumed name and have thought that he was safe, relying on lack of cooperation between European Union (EU) member states, Corriere della Sera observed.

Police will now try to understand whether he only had a role in the falsification of documents or also provided logistical support and help to the Islamist terrorists while knowing that they were preparing attacks in the French and Belgian capitals, the newspaper added.

Anti-terrorism measures have been raised to the maximum level in Italy in the latest months around potential targets, including airports, railway and subway stations, historical monuments, international institutions and places of worship.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said at the end of last week that as part of enhanced security, Italy has repatriated nine terrorism-related people so far this year and a total of 75 last year.

Special attention, with body inspections and explosive-detecting dogs, was paid this weekend as flows of tourists and pilgrims reached capital Rome and other famous destinations in Italy over the Eastern holidays.

Local authorities and experts agree that the Mediterranean country has one of the most advanced anti-terrorism systems in Europe, but the strategic aim should be increased exchange of information with EU member states, with a common intelligence, defense and foreign policy put at the center of the anti-terrorism fight.

On Friday, Italy approved the creation of a national DNA database that would store samples from different categories of people including those who are being held in custody or under house arrest, people arrested while committing a crime and convicts with a definitive sentence.

Based on the new law, profiles can be retained for a maximum of 40 years while biological samples would be destroyed after 20 years. Local authorities said the data collection will start soon in the coming days and will allow greater cooperation among EU states in the fight against terrorism. Endit