Prefect Matteo Piantedosi, the
cabinet chief of Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo
Salvini, told prosecutors in Catania that the interior ministry
was aware of a "generalized alarm" over the possibility of
extremists infiltrating migrant boats attempting to reach Italy
during the Diciotti case last August, according to sealed court
documents, details of which emerged on Monday.
In the documents, which date back to November 12, Piantedosi
told magistrates investigating the case that there was no
"specific alarm" but the interior ministry's "model of behavior"
took that danger into account.
"There is the theme of protecting borders", he said,
according to the report on his questioning by magistrates.
Asked by a magistrate of the court of ministers in Catania
whether there had been reports of specific people aboard the
Diciotti who could be a threat to Italy's security, Piantedosi
said "no, not specific, but over the previous months we had
generic reports on the alarm".
Last month, the Senate's immunity panel voted against
granting a request from criminal prosecutors to proceed with
charges against Deputy Premier and the interior minister over
the Diciotti case.
Catania's court for ministers in January had requested
authorization to proceed with the case in which Salvini was
accused of kidnapping for refusing to allow over 100 migrants
saved by the Coast Guard to get off the Diciotti ship during a
10-day stand-off with the EU in August.
The request was made even though prosecutors in the Sicilian
city had requested the case be dropped.
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