Italy dismantled an alleged Islamist terrorist network with links to al-Qa'ida, claiming that the extremists had planned to attack the Vatican. Italian authorities said the network included two men who were bodyguards of Osama bin Laden before he was killed in a raid by US Special Forces in Pakistan in 2011. Investigators said the suspects belonged to "an organisation dedicated to transnational criminal activities inspired by al-Qa'ida and other radical organisations, pursuing armed struggle against the West and insurrection against the current government of Pakistan". The principal members of the network were allegedly Khan Sultan Wali, a shopkeeper and long-term resident of the Sardinian port of Olbia, and an unidentified imam who lived in Brescia in northern Italy.

Nine suspects were arrested during the early morning raids across the country, while another nine were being sought, three of whom are believed to be in Italy. All were Pakistanis and Afghans.

Police intercepted telephone conversations between the suspects which gave "signals of some preparation for a possible attack" against the Holy Se. In the wiretaps, the suspects discussed launching "a big jihad in Italy", said Mario Carta, a senior police officer. They also used the word "baba” a possible reference to the Pope. The extremist network has been planning to launch a suicide bomb attack against the Vatican in 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI was head of the Roman Catholic Church, said Mauro Mura, a prosecutor in Cagliari, Sardinia.

The purported attack may have been called off after police in Sardinia conducted a raid on the home of one of the alleged al-Qa'ida sympathisers in March 2010, and possibly have scared off the extremists. Vatican said that since the alleged attack plan was dated five years back, it had no particular concerns about the security of Pope Francis, who succeeded Pope Benedict two years ago.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has released several videos in which it says it aims to conquer Rome, enslave Christians and raise the black flag of the caliphate over St Peter's Basilica. Pietro Paroli, the Vatican secretary of state, said: "We are all exposed and we are all afraid but the Pope is very tranquil in this. The biggest fear is that innocent people may be affected. But I don't seem to perceive great concern in the Vatican, although of course you have to be careful."

By Premji