In June 2014, ISIS terrorists showed off a captured SCUD missile in Raqqa, Syria.
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The name Scud has been widely used to refer to these missiles and the wide variety of modern variants.
In February 2015 ISIS called for attacks on Rome and urged fighters to use Scud missiles.
Now this…
The Islamic State issued new threats today on Paris, Rome and America.
New #ISIS vid "Paris Before Rome""we will end with what is called the #WhiteHouse & we'lll blacken it with our fire" pic.twitter.com/xBXFlDcDsZ
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) November 19, 2015
The Holy See implemented new measures to protect the Vatican from an Islamist drone attack.
New measures seek to prevent #ISIS drone attack on Vatican in Year of Mercy https://t.co/eaviT84qHs pic.twitter.com/hUf2PJqKnu
— Catholic Herald (@CatholicHerald) November 19, 2015
The United States issued a warning to Americans abroad to avoid locations identified as potential targets.
Breitbart.com reported:
The United States Embassy in Italy has issued a security alert to all Americans abroad, warning them to avoid locations that have been identified as potential targets for terrorist attacks.
At the top of the short list is “St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City (Rome).”
The November 18 notice is billed as a “Security Message for U.S. Citizens” regarding a potential for terrorist attacks, and arrived punctually into the email boxes of all Americans registered with the embassy, including that of Breitbart News.
Along with the Vatican, the State Department singles out the Duomo (cathedral) and La Scala opera house in Milan. It goes on to note that general venues “such as churches, synagogues, restaurants, theatres, and hotels” in both Rome and Milan are possible targets as well.
The embassy notice says: “Terrorist groups may possibly utilize similar methods used in the recent Paris attacks,” meaning bombs and assault rifles.
The alert also mentions that Italian authorities are aware of these threats, signaling that there will be additional security in these places, a phenomenon that is already evident.
Immediately following last Friday’s jihadist attacks in Paris, the Italian government issued a level-two terrorist alert for the whole country, considerably increasing security measures around the Vatican City State.
The level-two alert comprises the deployment of forces from the army’s special units. Army units have been dispatched to conduct regular patrols on the streets surrounding the Vatican, and can be seen in clusters around the city-state carrying high-powered weapons.
