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| Europe |
| Italy on heightened security for the Winter Olympics |
| 2006-02-10 |
| The worldwide Muslim protests against caricatures of Muhammad that appeared in a Danish newspaper last year have compounded Italy's security headaches for the Winter Olympics, which already suffer from possible disruption by local anti-globalization groups, opponents of a high-speed railway line and striking tram drivers. Signs of concern are all over this town near Italy's northwest frontier. About 10,000 police from all over the country are patrolling boulevards and back alleys. Bomb-sniffing dogs stand guard at the airport, train station, stadiums and street corners. About 300 specially trained troops will patrol the nearby mountain sites on snowmobiles and skis. Airspace over Turin will be closed to anything with mechanical wings except for F-16s from the Italian air force that will zoom about during Friday's Opening Ceremonies and two surveillance planes supplied by NATO that will monitor wayward flights. Missiles have been mounted around the city. All that was in the works before the Muhammad cartoon unrest overwhelmed the local news. Because of the uproar, Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu, Italy's top official for civilian police and the intelligence corps, called an emergency meeting of security officials Monday regarding possible new threats. Pisanu said the riots and protests in the Middle East, Central Asia and Far East countries have been "carried out coldly with political ends. We mustn't forget that Islamic extremism is an essentially political movement that cynically uses religious values." At least two Italian newspapers reprinted the Muhammad caricatures that included one showing the prophet of Islam wearing a turban shaped like a bomb. Nonetheless, Pisanu said, homegrown violence is the most likely problem for the Olympics. "For the Olympics I fear the rising aggressiveness of anti-globalization protesters, anarchists and all the domestic subversion movements that are pursuing the Olympic spotlight. Unfortunately, these people have already done very serious damage to the image of our country," Pisanu said. He was referring to the bumpy ride of the Olympic flame to Turin. Protesters blocked its passage in several Italian cities. In Genoa a few weeks ago, it had to travel by sea to arrive in town. The group of demonstrators include residents of towns near Turin who oppose construction of a railway tunnel through the Alps as part of a cross-European, high-speed train network. Assorted masked anti-globalization militants are protesting corporate sponsorship of the Olympics. On a clear, sunny Thursday, the flame arrived in Turin and guest runners carried it along streets lined with cheering people. But the flame had to compete with unemployed laborers who held up self-described "fake torches" to protest layoffs at the local Fiat auto plant. Police surrounded anti-globalization demonstrators who tried to approach the route. Plenty of gesticulating broke out, but no violence. More protests are planned for Friday, when the flame will once again navigate Turin. On Tuesday, the country's president, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, urged Italians to show a "sense of responsibility" and keep the Olympics incident-free. "For two weeks, Turin will be the capital of Italy," he said. "I am confident that everyone will work together for the Olympics." Italian politicians took the message as an opportunity to point fingers at each other for trouble that had yet to break out. Italy is in the middle of heated campaigns for parliamentary elections scheduled for April. Pier Ferdinando Casini, who is a leader in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government, said it was up to the opposition, some of whom back the groups opposing the high-speed rail network, to head off any trouble. He called the opposition "irresponsible." Romano Prodi, who is running against Berlusconi for prime minister, countered that he did not endorse disruption, but understood that the government "had done little" to resolve the problems of the tunnel with local residents. Italian officials have long predicted that, with elections on the horizon, Italy would be the focus of a terrorist attack. Berlusconi supported the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq by dispatching about 3,000 soldiers to the southern Iraqi town of Nasiriyah. The Italians have begun a withdrawal, but it will not be complete until later this year. In recent months, Italian authorities have deported about 30 Islamic militants they said were inciting violence, including an imam preaching in Turin. The Italians rely on wiretapping to keep tabs on terrorist suspects and their supporters. Officials say they have 2,000 people under close watch. Turin is not the only possible target. Italy has several crowded tourist sites and Italy has intensified security at hundreds of them at a cost of more than $100 million. Italy has significant experience in dealing with high-profile events. Officials cite the trouble-free funeral of Pope John Paul II last year as a prime example. On the other hand, violence broke out at a summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations held in Genoa in 2001, which was marred by mob violence and vicious police counterattacks. Pisanu described the Islamic threat as less to do with al Qaeda than with independent North African origin "Islamic-European" militant groups. The security nerve center in Turin is called the National Center for Olympic Information. Spread around the city and Olympic sites are 21 operation rooms all linked together by sophisticated communications. Officials at the center said that athletes from any country involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are at risk. In all, there are 2,500 athletes in Turin scheduled to perform in front of a million spectators during the Games, which end Feb. 26. Ciampi made a broader appeal on Thursday, calling for a worldwide "Olympic truce" during which no one would make war on anyone else, but instead "brotherhood prevails in the world." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 Good to see they're taking the air threat seriously. Didn't the Chechen Aeroflot attack take place during the Summer games in Greece. NEIN honed in on that one, but they just obliterated their archives -- I'm sorry, "reorganized" their website. Remember 7/7 - extra cops in Scotland for the G8, the attacks happened in London. If an attack occurs, my money would be on Rome or Milan. |
| Posted by: Rory B. Bellows 2006-02-10 01:27 |