Italian Police Arrest 142 in Terror Sweep

Italian police said Saturday they had arrested 142 people in a two-day security sweep around Milan prompted by Thursday’s bombings in London.

Some 2,000 carabinieri fanned out across the Lombardy region, stepping up patrols around train stations, subways, commercial centers and other sensitive sites, said Gen. Antonio Girone, regional commander of the paramilitary police.

Girone said the operation was focusing on Milan because that city had been the major focus of Italian investigations into Islamic terrorism and because it could be at “major risk of possible attacks.” He said the measures were designed to make people “feel calmer after the London attacks.”

Of those arrested, 84 were immigrants, and authorities issued 52 expulsion orders, Girone said. Most of those arrested were accused of drug, petty theft or immigration-related offenses, he said.

The operation was one of the most visible signs of stepped-up security throughout Italy following Thursday’s attacks in London and threats that Italy might also be targeted for its support of the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.