ISIS Threatens Scud Missile Attack On Rome

ISIS Threatens Scud Missile Attack On Rome

Voice of America reported: 

Islamic State militants are goading Italy on their social media accounts by urging jihadist recruits to go to Libya in preparation for attacks on Rome, saying the strategic location of the conflict-torn North African country is perfect. 

The online propaganda offensive comes as Italian authorities ramp up security measures to protect landmark sites, outlining plans to put 4,800 soldiers on the streets in Rome and in other major cities. 

Counter-terror officials say they worry about attacks on newspapers, synagogues and embassies – and they are mounting extra security patrols around the Vatican. 

Italy has been in the grip of growing alarm following the mass execution last week of 21 Coptic Christians by extremists affiliated with the so-called Islamic State on the Libyan shore of the Mediterranean Sea, some 480 kilometers (300 miles) from Italy’s mainland. 

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has urged the United Nations and Western powers to consider mounting an intervention to halt Libya’s descent into chaos. 

The North African country is riven by two blocs of competing militias, which are backing rival governments in Tripoli and Tobruk, with jihadists exploiting the anarchy. 

Recruitment calls Islamic State militants appear to be doing everything they can to stoke alarm in Italy. 

Since the black-clad, masked militants threatened to take their war to Rome, jihadist propagandists have been posting calls for followers to head to Libya rather than Syria, the main draw for foreign fighters. 

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi last month announced the group’s expansion to Libya and urged Muslims to travel there. 

Many of the participants in what is clearly now becoming a coordinated social media campaign have been stressing the advantages of Libya as a major arena in the jihad against Europe. 

They are citing its proximity to southern European cities such as Athens and Rome, say researchers with the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a U.S.-based non-profit specializing in monitoring online jihadist activity. 

One IS supporter even argued that the distance between Libya and Italy allows Scud missiles to be fired at Rome, adding a sketch to demonstrate his claim.

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