ROME (RNS) The Italian government is on high alert after threats from the Islamic State called Italy “the nation signed with the blood of the cross.”
Italy is one of a handful of major Western counties that has not been victim of a large-scale terror assault since the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S.
Italian officials fear extremists could enter the country amid the growing tide of refugees arriving by boat from North Africa. About 500 extra troops have been stationed to guard symbolic targets in Rome and monitor the streets of the capital for suspicious activity.
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Alessandro Tivoli, 29, a tour guide, said, “You can’t live your whole life in fear.”
Some Italians have used social media to fight the threats with humor by using the Twitter hashtag “#We_are_coming_o_Rome” to suggest specific restaurants or sites for the would-be invaders and to predict the militants would be brought to their knees by Italian bureaucracy or oppressive traffic.
“You have to laugh,” said Raffaelle Caruso, 78, a retired technician. “It helps prevent you from being frightened.”
