The chief of Italy's anti-terrorism
division said Tuesday there are "no specific signals or
particular evidence" pointing to imminent or potential Islamist
terror attacks in Italy.
"We remain on high alert," said Lamberto Giannini after the
US State Department issued a Europe-wide summer travel advisory
earlier in the day.
"(The situation in) Italy and the whole of Europe requires
maximum attention," Giannini said.
The US State Department issued a travel warning for Europe
citing potential risks of terrorist attacks during "major events
and at tourist sites".
It cited Euro 2016 in France from June 10 to July 10 as
well as restaurants, shopping malls, and public transportation.
The travel alert expires as of August 31, the State
Department said.
Giannini added that "associating migrants with terrorism
just doesn't stand up".
"We face an unprecedented menace, one that is fluid and
strikes in unpredictable ways," he continued.
New measures such as the criminalization of military
training for purposes of terrorism have made anti-terrorism
operations more effective, he said.
However Islamist terrorists are constantly "upgrading"
their technological capabilities, and this makes wiretapping
them increasingly difficult - due in part to telecoms and ICT
companies' refusal to provide customer data to law enforcement,
he admitted.
This is why "the human factor", the use of undercover
agents, and continued investment in the training of personnel
are the keys "to winning this challenge," he said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA