Italy arrests 40 in security sweep prompted by foiled UK terror plot News
Italy arrests 40 in security sweep prompted by foiled UK terror plot

[JURIST] The Italian Interior Ministry [official website, in Italian] said Friday that Italian police arrested 40 people on Thursday and Friday after the ministry decided to conduct security sweeps in cities across Italy following Thursday's news that UK police arrested over 20 terror suspects in a foiled terrorist plot [JURIST report] to bomb commercial airliners destined for the United States.

The 40 suspects were arrested at locations including "call centers, Internet points and money transfer" offices, according to the Interior Ministry, and have connections to Islamic organizations. Twenty-eight of those arrested are accused of having out-of-order residency papers, and 12 will be charged with minor property crimes. During the same security sweep, Italian police identified 114 illegal immigrants for expulsion from Italy. Reuters has more. ANSA has local coverage, in Italian. Italian authorities conducted a similar security sweep leading to deportations [JURIST report] in the immediate aftermath of the July 2005 London transit bombings [JURIST news archive].