Roundup: Counter-terror measures stepped up in Italy

Italy has stepped up counter-terror vigilance in major cities and around sensitive targets in recent days, with the number of suspected extremists expelled from the country rising to 107, authorities and media said.

Strengthened security measures were implemented especially in the capital city Rome and Milan, the country's major economic hub.

Controls in Rome were increased at the Colosseum, in historic central districts, after recent video threats against the city were made by alleged militants of the Islamic State (IS) group.

A special security plan had already been in place in Rome since December 2015, and has been updated, taking into account higher tourist arrivals in the summer, police said.

In Milan, joint units of police and soldiers equipped with hand metal detectors were deployed on Tuesday, and are patrolling popular areas for tourists and citizens.

"This summer scheme might be further extended, if it proves effective," Milan prefect Alessandro Marangoni told a press conference on Monday.

However, Marangoni stressed that police activity and security measures would be kept as less intrusive as possible as "citizens and tourists do not like being in a heavily armored city."

A 41-year-old Tunisian man was arrested last Friday near Naples, after Italian military police identified him as a self-radicalized supporter of IS.

"He did not carry out concrete actions, but he would have been ready to. He is a dangerous person," Giuseppe Governale, head of local Special Operation Group, told reporters, describing the man who was charged with criminal conspiracy to commit acts of international terrorism.

The suspect also allegedly led an illegal immigration ring involving seven other people, and served as caretaker at a mosque in a small town out of Naples, police said.

Since the beginning of 2015, some 107 people were expelled from the country for suspected ties to extremism, the Interior Ministry said last week.

"Police and intelligence have shown an outstanding level of expertise, which is crucial in order to reduce the terror risk in our country as much as possible," Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said.

Surveillance around suspected extremists living in Italy has further increased since June, in the wake of the attacks in Belgium, France and Germany.

At least 10 people were either arrested or expelled in the last two weeks alone.

A young Somali asylum-seeker was also given two years and six months in jail in Campobasso, central Italy, after being arrested in March for inciting terrorism.

In July, Italian President Sergio Mattarella had urged the country "not to fall into an age of anxiety" over terrorism concerns. Endit