The government's decree featuring
new measures to combat terrorism passed a confidence vote in the
Senate on Wednesday, becoming law with 161 votes in favour, 108
against and one abstention.
The national anti-Mafia prosecutor will now coordinate
anti-terrorism investigations.
Foreign fighters - or those who travel abroad to join the
Islamic State (ISIS) fundamentalist insurgency - as well as
anyone found guilty of organizing, funding, or advocating such
travel will face five to eight years in prison if convicted.
So-called lone wolves, or anyone training on their own in
order to commit terrorist acts in Italy will face five to 10
years in prison.
As well, the law says using the Web to perpetrate terrorist
acts - defined as recruiting foreign fighters and advocating
foreign fighting in the name of jihad - is an aggravating
circumstance.
Internet providers will be obligated to shut down jihadist
websites, but a measure allowing police to search private
computers from afar was eliminated.
Investigators will be allowed to wiretap the Internet
communications of international terrorism suspects.
IT and telephone providers will be required store user
traffic data through December 31, 2016.
The law authorizes intelligence agents to infiltrate the
prison system in order to sniff out terrorist recruitment
activities, provides for the deployment of another 300 soldiers
as of June 30 across the nation, and allocates over 40 million
euros to the Secure Seas operation to prevent terrorist attacks
on fishing trawlers and merchant marine vessels in the
Mediterranean.
As well, it provides for the mandatory arrest of human
traffickers caught in the act of bringing migrants to Italy.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
