ROME, 28 December 2003 — Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he had been given “precise” information before Christmas about the threat of a Christmas Day attack on Rome and the Vatican, a newspaper reported yesterday.
The Libero newspaper quoted Berlusconi as saying on Wednesday, Christmas Eve, that he had received “precise and verified news of an attack on Rome on Christmas Day. A hijacked plane above the Vatican...An attack from the sky.”
Christmas celebrations at the Vatican led by Pope John Paul passed without incident and there were no reports of any foiled attack. A Vatican spokesman, asked about Berlusconi’s comments, said he did not comment on security matters.
A spokeswoman at the prime minister’s office denied quotes attributed to him in the report. She said Berlusconi had had “a private conversation” with a Libero journalist.
“The threat from terrorism is extremely high at this moment. I’ve spent today (Dec 24) in Rome to deal with the situation,” Berlusconi was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
“Now I’m calm. It will pass...I don’t say this out of fatalism but because I am aware that our defenses are very high. If that is what they have organized, they won’t make it.” He gave no details of who was believed to be behind such a planned attack or of any measures taken to prevent it. US officials said on Friday one or more terror suspects may have escaped due to a premature disclosure in France of security concerns behind the cancellation of Christmas flights to Los Angeles.
Six flights between Paris and Los Angeles were cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday at the urging of Washington after US officials spotted what they believed were suspicious names on lists of those due to board the planes. Air France made clear at the time the cancellations had been ordered for security reasons. There was no indication of any link between Berlusconi’s comments and the cancellation of the Paris flights.
Berlusconi was also quoted by Libero as saying that in November he had received information about a possible attack on the subway in Milan or Rome, without giving further details. He said he had decided against closing the subway to avoid creating panic, but had ordered security measures doubled. Italian police boosted security at the Vatican and around churches before Christmas, though the Interior Ministry said on Dec. 18 it had received no specific threats. The Conciliazione, a broad avenue running from the river Tiber to St. Peter’s Square, has been closed to traffic from midnight until 7 a.m. since Dec. 15.
