Italian police on Friday arrested 10 people and were looking for eight others suspected of belonging to an armed group linked to al-Qaeda which had plotted attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan and, at least at one point, the Vatican.
Some of the suspects, who are all Pakistanis and Afghans, were arrested in early morning raids across Italy.
Though the 18 suspects were plotting attacks mainly in their native countries, phone taps suggest the Vatican was also a target, said Mauro Mura, chief prosecutor of the Sardinian city of Cagliari, where the group had its headquarters.
Mura said officials had indications of a possible plot for an attack against the Vatican in 2010 by members of the group. – (Reuters)