Italy beefs up security after anti-terrorism arrests, ahead of Easter

ROME, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Italy beefed up security measures in the wake of two high-profile anti-terrorism arrests and ahead of the Easter holiday this weekend, the Interior Ministry announced Wednesday.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti called an emergency meeting of the Strategic Anti-Terrorism Analysis Committee (CASA) - which includes police and intelligence - after the arrests of two affiliates of the so-called Islamic State (IS) extremist group over the past 24 hours.

"Emergency CASA meeting decides to reinforce surveillance and security measures to protect high-risk targets," the Interior Ministry said in a tweet.

Earlier on Wednesday, anti-terrorism police in the northern city of Turin arrested a 23-year-old Moroccan-Italian man who was allegedly plotting a truck bomb attack in the name of IS.

On Tuesday, a 59-year-old Egyptian man who is married to a much older Italian woman was arrested for indoctrinating very young children with extremist ideology at an Islamic center in the southern city of Foggia, also in the name of IS.

Both arrests took place after months of surveillance and investigation. "All police forces and intelligence services... will be tirelessly employed... to identify every possible source of risk and danger (and) guarantee maximum commitment to the security and peace of mind of citizens and tourists," the Interior Ministry said.

This includes beefing up security in crowded areas such as public transportation, monuments, and places of worship ahead of Easter, which is Christianity's second most important celebration after Christmas and which this year falls on Sunday, April 1.

An estimated 10.1 million Italians are expected to get on the road on Easter weekend, with about 90 percent of respondents saying they plan to travel to domestic destinations, according to Federalberghi hotels association. Enditem