Italy foils terrorist plot to attack Vatican

Italian police said on April 24 they had dismantled an Islamist network linked to the slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, as well as involvement in attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan and a suspected plot to bomb the Vatican.

A total of 18 suspects, all Pakistani and Afghan, were arrested after a six-year investigation that stemmed from an investigation into illegal immigration from the island of Sardinia.

Police cars patrol St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. (Source: AP)

However, only 9 suspects were arrested in the raid on the morning of April 24 across Italy.

Police said that based on the content of the wiretapped phone calls, the suspects had carried out many bloody terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including the October 2009 bombing at a market in Peshawar city that killed more than 100 people, and even plotted to overthrow the Pakistani government.

Among the suspects are two men believed to be Bin Laden's bodyguards.

According to the police, this network organized the migration of Pakistanis and Afghans to Europe via Italy, posing as victims of ethnic or religious persecution to receive refugee status in Europe. The proceeds from this activity were transferred to extremist groups in Pakistan, including branches of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Speaking to reporters, Sardinian prosecutor Mauro Mura said members of the network had contacted two suspected suicide bombers who had come to Italy in 2010 and discussed a "major jihad" that could target the Vatican. However, the two men left Italy after discovering they were being followed./.

According to VNA