Italy raises security levels after concert hall attack in Russia
Follows in the footsteps of France in beefing up safety
Italy followed France on Monday in stepping up security following the attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall and the claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group.
The attack renewed attention in Europe on the risk from the extremists, and particularly the Central Asian affiliate, as the continent gears up for big events such as the Paris Olympics and the European Championship in Germany.
France on Sunday increased its security alert posture to the highest level. In Italy, a national security council meeting Monday resulted in a decision to increase security around Holy Week observances leading up to Easter this weekend.
Both surveillance and checks will be increased, “paying the most attention to the places of greatest aggregation and transit of people, as well as sensitive targets,’’ the Italian Interior Ministry said. Pope Francis has a busy schedule of events in Rome and at the Vatican in the days leading up to Easter Sunday.
In Germany, Interior Ministry spokesperson Cornelius Funke said the threat from Islamic extremists “remains acute” but authorities’ risk assessment hasn’t changed so far as a result of the Moscow attack.
In Serbia, secret police officers with machine-guns patrolled the streets of Belgrade over the weekend. President Aleksandar Vucic said they and plainclothes police would monitor sports venues and shopping malls in the capital. The measure was criticized by Vucic’s opponents as unnecessary and designed to scare the population.
An affiliate of the Islamic State group known variously as ISIS-K, IS-K or ISPK claimed responsibility for the Moscow attack, a claim that U.S. and other western officials have confirmed. The affiliate has repeatedly carried out attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
It was behind the August 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport that left 13 American troops and about 170 Afghans dead during the U.S. withdrawal. It also claimed responsibility for a bomb attack in Kerman, Iran, in January that killed 95 people at a memorial procession.
The attack renewed attention in Europe on the risk from the extremists