Four people were arrested this week on charges of conspiring to kill Pope Francis and the U.S. ambassador to Kosovo, according to Corriere, the Italian daily newspaper.
This gang of jihadis were all Kosovan citizens and were arrested as part of an anti-terrorism effort in the aftermath of the Nov. 13 Paris attacks. The accused all have connections to Syria and are charged with “condoning terrorism” and “inciting racial hatred.”
A computer owned by one of the four men was recovered in the sting, and a manual on how to carry out a terrorist attack was discovered on it.
The arrests were made by efforts of the police force in Brescia, Italy, and with help from Kosovan authorities.
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Three of the members of this highly dangerous jihadi force were arrested in Italy, where they had taken up residence and had remained undercover for some time.
The architect of the plot was arrested in Kosovo, although sources say he lived in Italy for a period as well.
Authorities discovered the group because of their use of social media, which is typical of jihadis. The police force reported that “the (alleged) terrorist team propagated the ideology of jihad through social networks.” Among other messages, a member of the group threatened online that “this will be the last pope.”
Carmine Esposito, a member of the Brescia’s police unit, told Rai Tre the four “threatened Pope Francis, celebrated the recent attacks in Paris and threatened the ex-US ambassador in Kosovo.”
Security is ramping up all over Europe, particularly in Italy, after the Paris attacks. Authorities have made it their mission to uncover these secret jihadi networks all over Europe.
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