The Italian government is set
to approve a new anti-terrorism package including measures
against foreign fighters, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said
on Tuesday.
"The government is playing close attention to the risk of a
return of foreign fighters and will approve the new measures in
this direction tomorrow (Wednesday)," Gentiloni said.
However, "there is no need to give messages that confuse
terrorism with the generic phenomenon of immigration," the
minister continued.
"To think that the terrorists arrive in boats on our coasts
not only is not confirmed by the information but risks being a
message that is politically incorrect," Gentiloni concluded.
His comments came after a statement made during a summit on
the militant Islamic State (ISIS) in London last week concerning
the risk that terrorists could be among the waves of thousands
of migrants who arrive in Italy from North Africa every year
sparked controversy.
The government has been mulling new anti-terror legislation
since Islamist terrorists linked to Al Qaeda killed 17 people in
three days of terror in Paris earlier this month.
Measures under consideration include introducing up to 10
years in prison for foreign fighters, confiscating suspects'
passports, making organizing combatants' trips a crime, cracking
down on explosives, and setting up a national anti-terrorism
directorate.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
