Anti-terror decree becomes law

(ANSA) - Rome, April 15 - 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.