Bosnian commando reportedly targeting Vatican
BBC Monitoring - August 27, 2004, Friday
Report by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on 27 August 2004
Rome: A few lines sent by the MSU Multinational Specialized Unit carabinieri
regiment based in Sarajevo to the Carabinieri Force General Command have been
keeping the Italian security apparatus on the alert for the last few days.
The threat is a precise one: an attack to be carried out in the Vatican during a
religious ceremony.
But this is not the only cause for worry. There are other details which are
being checked. According to the "source", a commando is already in Rome and has
an unspecified quantity of plastic explosive C4.
The commando
Obviously, the note does not reveal the "source", but the fact that the regiment
has decided to forward it means that credence is being given to the warning.
The news talks about a commando made up by 10 fundamentalists (seven women and
three men) from Brcko, in Bosnia-Hercegovina and is already in Rome.
According to the "contact", the action has already been planed in detail, and
the explosive is ready.
"They are waiting to act and will do so during a public ceremony." No other
details were given, butt the carabinieri attached a list of suspected people
living in the Brcko area to their note.
This detail seems to mean that they believe their informer is reliable. These
names are now being checked. Controls have been set up at land borders,
particularly with Slovenia, and airports.
The anti-terrorism men in Italy have been observing mosques, religious paces and
cultural centres for months and this activity has been stepped up even further
in recent days.
The explosive
They are also checking the possibility that the fundamentalists may have a
relevant quantity of C4. This is an explosive often used in attacks carried out
by groups linked to Al-Qa'idah. It is not difficult to get hold of in the
Balkans and it could have been shipped to Italy via the "Adriatic route".
SOURCE: Corriere della Sera, Milan, in Italian 27 Aug 04
Copyright 2004 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Monitoring Europe - Political
Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
Posted for Fair Use only.