Security at the Vatican and across Italy has been stepped up because of a perceived heightened risk of attacks by Islamist militants, officials said Wednesday. A day after the Italian cabinet approved new security measures because of fears of a terrorist spillover from the chaos engulfing Libya, the head of the Vatican's Swiss Guard confirmed additional precautions had been taken to ensure the safety of Pope Francis. "What happened in Paris with the Charlie Hebdo attacks could also happen at the Vatican. The Italian government's security committee on Tuesday placed the country on a heightened state of alert and rubber-stamped a decision taken last week to increase the number of soldiers on anti-terror "safe streets" duties from 3,000 to 4,800.
02-26-2015, 07:04 AM
Vatican, Italy on heightened alert over Islamist threat
Security at the Vatican and across Italy has been stepped up because of a perceived heightened risk of attacks by Islamist militants, officials said Wednesday. A day after the Italian cabinet approved new security measures because of fears of a terrorist spillover from the chaos engulfing Libya, the head of the Vatican's Swiss Guard confirmed additional precautions had been taken to ensure the safety of Pope Francis. "What happened in Paris with the Charlie Hebdo attacks could also happen at the Vatican. The Italian government's security committee on Tuesday placed the country on a heightened state of alert and rubber-stamped a decision taken last week to increase the number of soldiers on anti-terror "safe streets" duties from 3,000 to 4,800.
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