Italy expels Moroccans, Syrian as terror fears mount

ROME: Italy said it had deported two Moroccans and a Syrian on security grounds, lifting to 202 the number of potentially dangerous Islamists expelled since January 2015.

The announcement came as security was raised after vehicle attacks in Barcelona and elsewhere, and a widely- reported warning from the Islamic State group that Italy is next on its hit list.

Administrative expulsions, which are not subject to any appeal, are one of the main planks of Italy’s strategy for preventing the kind of jihadist attacks suffered by other European countries.

Sicily decided Saturday to introduce barriers preventing vehicular access to six pedestrianised areas of the island’s capital Palermo, reflecting fears of truck attacks.

Additional barriers are to be placed on potentially vulnerable locations in Milan, a meeting of regional security officials decided.

The prefecture for th e Rome region approved an increase in the number of guards for its major tourist sports and said it would step up monitoring of trucks moving around the capital.

The latest individuals deported included a 38-year- old Moroccan said to have been radicalised while in prison for minor crimes.

His status was bumped from medium to high risk after he and other prisoners were seen enthusiastically celebrating the Stockholm truck attack in April which killed five people.

The Syrian, who also operated under a false Tunisian identity, was arrested in 2015 for involvement in illegal immigration and placed under house arrest at a centre for asylum seekers in southern Italy. — AFP