ISIS threatens van, gun, bomb attacks on Vatican and Italy this Christmas

ISIS is one of the world's deadliest terrorist organizations, and one of western nations' deepest concerns and largest threat to citizens within the country. In 2017 alone, numerous attacks have killed dozens in Europe and America.

With two attacks in the U.S., four in Canada, and numerous others in Europe, 2017 has proven ISIS' foreign threat to not be diminishing even as they lose loads of territories as the war progresses in Syria and Iraq.

The terror group's supporting media issued a poster of which has directly threatened the St Peter's Basilica location of the Vatican, where Pope Francis holds masses that draws tens of thousands - especially on major holidays, like Christmas.

In the poster is a message saying "Christmas Blood... Just Wait", followed by a disturbing photo of which Jihadi John, a British citizen that worked as an ISIS executioner of which executed dozens of Americans and British citizens before being killed two years ago, is driving a speeding vehicle.

The speeding vehicle is headed for crowds outside of St Peter's Basilica. In the passenger seat lays a semi-automatic rifle as well as a bag of which is known for being used by Islamic extremists to hide suicide explosive devices.

According to officials, the Pope has not changed plans or his calendar following the threat a few days ago made by the terror group. A former security agent said they are not able to tell the Pope whether or not to do something; referring to how he often times makes spontaneous moves to visit citizens in the crowd.

Italian officials have announced they are looking at the threat as it has made it on their radars for terror threats but stopped short before saying whether or not they were treating it as a major terror development within the country.

Italy, like Canada and Greece, are countries of which are known for being connected to terror attacks in other countries inspired or directed by ISIS. We know that one of the only terror incidents in Italy was an anti-terror operation to arrest the terrorist of which rammed a truck into citizens in Berlin last Christmas.

The threat to Italy has been made before, however. But as ISIS, specifically this year, takes more moves to attack countries they've avoided attacking in the past (like Great Britain and Canada), it isn't unlikely they may make a move on Italy.

But this shouldn't be seen as a simple threat made to the Vatican in specific; as we do know they made a similar threat last year highlighting a threat made on Christians celebrating Christmas globally; with a terror attack carried out on citizens at a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12, and an attack in California that killed 14 at a holiday party.

According to our analysts, the Vatican is taking safety precautions to avoid the chance of smuggling a knife, bomb, gun in the mass area including metal detectors before entering the area, as well as cars being blocked from nearing the main entrance of the mass sector.

But it isn't uncommon for hundreds of people that do not fit in the main prayer area to stay outside of the borders of the Vatican on sidewalks of busy streets. The Vatican, and Italian officials, have not made it clear how they plan on preventing any threat to those citizens.

An unnamed source has told the Mount Royal Times that the Italian police plan on putting undercover security officers mixed with the crowd during ceremonies to avoid any suspicious developments to turn into a fatal terror attack.

#Terrorism #Terror #Italy