Thursday, 28 March, 2002, 16:58 GMT
Italy plays down attack fears
Venice is one of four cities named in the US warning
The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has sought to reassure Americans that they need not fear attacks in Italy over the Easter weekend.
The US on Wednesday warned its citizens in Italy to be vigilant, especially on Easter Sunday, following intelligence reports that militants may be planning attacks against them. But Mr Berlusconi said on Thursday that Italian intelligence services had received no reports that gave cause for concern. He said that "great attention" was being paid to the cities mentioned in the warning - Venice, Florence, Milan and Verona. "We have alerted everyone who could have been alerted and what we are hearing back from the secret services, the police and the paramilitaries is reassuring," he said. Although Italian authorities tipped off the US about the possible threat, some officials criticised the State Department for issuing a public warning.
The US on Wednesday warned its citizens in Italy to be vigilant, especially on Easter Sunday, following intelligence reports that militants may be planning attacks against them. But Mr Berlusconi said on Thursday that Italian intelligence services had received no reports that gave cause for concern. He said that "great attention" was being paid to the cities mentioned in the warning - Venice, Florence, Milan and Verona. "We have alerted everyone who could have been alerted and what we are hearing back from the secret services, the police and the paramilitaries is reassuring," he said. Although Italian authorities tipped off the US about the possible threat, some officials criticised the State Department for issuing a public warning.
Luxor fear
The Vatican's security adviser, Vincent Cannistraro, a former CIA anti-terrorism chief, told La Stampa newspaper that police believed militants were planning to open fire on "an easy target" such as people in the street. "The alarm came from the Italian authorities, who discovered that a group of five or six Egyptians entered the country in recent weeks to kill American tourists during the Easter holidays," he was quoted as saying.
The fear was, he said, that the group was planning a similar attack to a 1997 massacre at Luxor in Egypt, when Islamic guerrillas gunned down 58 foreigners and four Egyptians.
Tourists react
Authorities in Milan criticised the US statement as "alarmism" that played into the hands of terrorists. It does get to you a little bit, but at the same time, you don't want to stay in a hole US tourist Mark Byrd
Authorities in Milan criticised the US statement as "alarmism" that played into the hands of terrorists. It does get to you a little bit, but at the same time, you don't want to stay in a hole US tourist Mark Byrd