Drone Buzzes Vatican Caused Concerns About Terror Attack

(Rome) Italyis on high alert, but this is also the case in the Vatican. The danger of an Islamist terror attack is taken very seriously by security experts. On Saturday an unidentified drone triggered an alarm over the Vatican.

A small flying object, actually of the size of a toy, left all antiterror safety levels switched to red in the city at the Tiber. The alarm triggered a carabinieri patrol in the early morning. They had seen a drone in the "no fly zone" near St. Peter's. The Antiterror alarm levels were activated by protocol. A police helicopter went up to secure the borough of Borgo from above. When the drone landed on the roof of a house within the district and identifications of drone owner and house owner were carried out, the former could not be found. The alarm has nevertheless been terminated. The house where the drone landed is only a stone's throw from Saint Peter's Square. The investigators traced the drone to a tourist who made a photo or film recording of St. Peter. Nevertheless, there is a polemic, since the incident shows how easily a potentially dangerous flying object can be approximated to a sensitive object and also disappear again. Rome is currently flooded by drones to view the sights from above. It's a new tourist hobby which has already led to heated discussion in security circles. A drone ban was already pronounced for individual districts. Last year, a 31-year-old US-American was detained because he had flown his drone into a forbidden flight zone.

Vatican spokeswoman downplays the matter  - Commander of the Swiss Guard sees it differently

In the Vatican they tried to down play the game. In contrast to the police, deputy press officer Paloma Garcia Ovejero said that there was "no alarm". Neither the video threatening the pope by the jihad militia Islamic State (IS) nor  the Barcelona bombings has changed threat levels, according to the spokeswoman.

The concern to preserve peace is in definite contrast to the latest statements by the commander of the Swiss Guard, Christoph Graf, which arise from concerns about possible Islamic terror attacks on the Vatican. "This is just a matter of time," the colonel added, adding that "the ongoing adjustment of their methods of training must also prepare the Swiss Guard for "terrorist threats."

The drones contribute to increased tension among the security forces, which - usually unnecessarily - have to pay attention to unidentified "toys." Last winter, the Italian secret service had sent a message to all security forces, warning of air attacks. Among other things:

"Over the past few weeks, the Israeli authorities have arrested two men on the border with Jordan, carrying a pair of self-propelled drones (Parrot brand) modified with a transport capacity of up to 3 kg. The two men are said to have reported the use of the drones for unspecified terrorist activities."

In the context of information from the Italian terrorist unit of the Carabinieri of Rome, a January 2017 a terror attack has been planned. In Rome, according to the source, Islamists were in contact with a hitherto unknown source, which discreetly and anonymously makes modifications to drones of the Parrot brand.

The Italian security forces are also worried because Islamic terrorists have been shown to have contact with Muslim circles in Italy and have also partly resided in Italy. This includes Anis Amri, the assassin of the Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. He drove a truck into a Christmas market, killing around 60 people. Afterwards he escaped to Italy, where he was killed by a police gunshot. Also, Amri's brother, Soufiane Amri (pseudonym Aka Abu Dharr), was temporarily in Italy.

Two weeks before the terror attempt in Berlin, the brothers were quartered in a hotel in the Italian harbor town of Ancona on the middle Adriatic Sea and met with other persons. What they did there is still unknown. Ancona is an important port for ferry boats. It links Greece and the Balkans with Italy. This is an important immigration route from the Middle East.

Text: Andreas Becker

Image: MiL

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG