Italian police arrested six more people in Rome Friday believed to have ties with the al-Qaeda terrorist network. They were the latest in a string of arrests aimed at clamping down on terrorism.
Dawn raids were carried out in the Italian capital on the apartments of men suspected of links with Islamic militants. Police also raided a garage used as a mosque. Six men were arrested, including two Algerians and a Pakistani.
The nationalities of the others were not immediately made available. One man was picked up at Rome airport. He had just arrived on a flight from Saudi Arabia via Egypt.
Police held all the men on suspicion of ties with a criminal organization with terrorist intentions. During the operation police seized videotapes and documents including phone books with references to the Islamic Jihad group.
The arrests were the latest in a series carried out by the Italian police since it stepped up its anti-terrorism efforts. Italy has arrested 30 people suspected of ties to extremist Islamic groups since last September.
Just last week police arrested a group of Moroccans suspected of planning a chemical attack on the U.S. embassy in Rome. They were found with explosives and maps marking the city's water system and the exact location of the U.S. embassy.
In February, Italian judicial authorities sentenced to jail four Tunisians believed to have ties with Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network. It was the first conviction of terrorist suspects in Europe follow the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
NEB/PT