Intentionally leaving bags in public a crime says prefect

(ANSA) - Rome, November 25 - Rome Prefect Franco Gabrielli said Wednesday that intentionally abandoning a bag or other container that could be construed as concealing a bomb in a crowded public space constitutes the crime of false alarm. Such behaviors are criminal acts "because they stress law enforcement and the general public" at a time of heightened fears of terrorism in the wake of the November 13 Islamic extremists attacks in Paris, Gabrielli said.