 AP Photo
|
||||
Posted on 04/06/2005 6:26:42 PM PDT by ELS
ROME - Anti-aircraft rocket launchers are in place around Rome, and a navy warship armed with torpedoes is patrolling the coastline near the capital. Those and other security measures are Italy's menacing message to terrorists ahead of Pope John Paul II's funeral.
|
|
||||||
Although Italian authorities are playing down the threat of an attack, they're also taking no chances: Friday's funeral will draw millions of pilgrims along with President Bush, two of his predecessors and dozens of monarchs, presidents and prime ministers.
There are plenty of reasons why militants might consider a strike, foremost among them Italy's involvement in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and an ongoing investigation into alleged al-Qaida cells in the northern city of Milan.
And there are plenty of potential targets: Bush, who arrived in Rome on Wednesday and viewed the Pope's remains; former President George H.W. Bush and former President Clinton; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Britain's Prince Charles and Prime Minister Tony Blair; U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan; and a host of other world leaders and VIPs including the presidents of Iran and Syria.
Perhaps most vulnerable are the huge crowds of pilgrims packing Rome for the funeral at St. Peter's Basilica. Officials say the capital of 3.7 million could double in population by Friday. Two million Poles are expected among the unprecedented wave of visitors.
Crowds of mourners were overwhelming Italian officials, who warned people they were facing a 24-hour wait to view the body and cut off the line to newcomers.
The civil defense department flashed messages on highway panels to warn people of the closure, which will allow officials to clear the basilica on time and prepare it for Friday's funeral, spokesman Luca Spoletini said.
In places, the lines of pilgrims were flanked by metal barricades; in others there was only yellow police tape. Police stood by to keep the peace, but there was little need: The only minor disturbances came when someone tried to push into the line.
In an age of metal detectors and sniffer dogs, most of the pilgrims threaded into Vatican City without so much as a frisking.
"There are no signs to make us worry" about an attack, said Achille Serra, who heads the Rome prefect's office, one of several agencies responsible for security ahead of the pope's funeral.
But he added: "It's obvious that we would be naive to underestimate such a large-scale event and the possibility of a crazy guy causing problems."
The influx of scores of bodyguards accompanying the heads of state was sure to vex the Vatican, which frowns on guns inside the Holy See, though it grudgingly makes exceptions.
One of Serra's deputies, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that "the current international situation and the number of people in the piazza call for measures of great attention." Authorities have no indications of a terrorist plot in the making, the official said.
Col. Massimo Fogari, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said anti-aircraft missiles were already in place around the capital. He would not say how many or confirm Italian media reports that rockets had been positioned on the ancient hills overlooking Vatican City.
A navy torpedo boat has been sailing up and down the coast near Rome, Fogari said. Italy's air force will be ready to scramble fighter jets during the funeral, and snipers will take up positions on rooftops, officials said.
Additional measures include intensified armed patrols on the Tiber River that flows through Rome. Air space within an 5-mile radius will be closed during the funeral, and traffic at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport will be reduced. Ciampino Airport, used for both civilian and military flights, will be shut down along with a smaller airport used by private and sightseeing planes.
Italy's elite Carabinieri military police increased their presence across the capital, part of an effort to bolster Rome's 10,000 police ranks by 6,500 and step up patrols with bomb-sniffing dogs. On Wednesday, a police helicopter made repeated low, sweeping passes over the city.
But the mood remained light even among the Carabineri, so famously laid back that their best-looking men and women officers are featured in a hot-selling calendar.
Only two uniformed officers were visible on the Piazza della Rotonda in front of the Pantheon, which was teeming with tourists Wednesday afternoon: one puffing on a pipe near the fountain, the other flirting with an attractive young sales clerk lounging in a doorway.
With the funeral fast approaching, Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni ordered a block on traffic in the city center starting eight hours before the service and running until Friday evening.
Serra called on pilgrims not to bring bags or backpacks "in order to avoid slowing down the flow of people," telling Italy's Apcom news agency that each one would have to be checked.
On Wednesday, Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu met with Italian police commanders and the chief of the domestic intelligence service on a plan "to guarantee the best conditions of security" for the funeral, the ministry said in a statement.
Underscoring the unique challenge of trying to secure the Eternal City, police have been crawling through Rome's warren of ancient drains and aqueducts under the city looking for bombs.
Italy has experience in dealing with the terrorist threat: In the 1970s and 1980s, homegrown militants from both the extreme right and left bloodied the nation with a series of attacks.
But most pilgrims seemed unconcerned.
"It didn't even cross my mind," said Therese Arbery, a 29-year-old college student from Dallas.
___
Associated Press writers Aidan Lewis and Angela Doland in Rome contributed to this story.
I'm less concerned about an attack on the crowds than I am about a decapitation strike against the College of Cardinals.
Good point.
Try a decapitation strike against several nations. This is about the highest value target that anyone with a nuke could target.
The Muslim extremist lunatics have already expressed their displeasure at the Arab media giving the Pope so much coverage.
From their point of view, it could be the ideal target.
Yahoo! News has some of those photos in their slideshow on JPII. They are quite amazing! He drew large crowds during his life and is drawing large crowds in death.
The Italians have done an amazing job of managing this enormous influx of people into Rome. Can you imagine this happening in NYC? I can't. Of course, you also can see the quality of the throngs of humanity involved...no stampedes, no crushing others in uncontrolled mobs, no rowdiness. The Pope would be proud of his people.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
