Interior minister says Italy’s terrorism prevention working

ROME (ANSA) — Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said that Italy’s terrorism prevention efforts have held up thus far and that Italy is a safe country, adding however “zero risk doesn’t exist,” speaking at the traditional press conference held annually on the Aug. 15 holiday.

Alfano said there is a risk for radicalization in prison, which the ministry is working to reduce.

He said Libya’s secret service has denied ever having accused Italy of having paid a ransom for the freedom of two Italian workers with the Parma-based oil-construction firm Bonatti, who were abducted in July 2015 and freed in March 2016.

Alfano said Libya also denied that jihadist fighters are arriving on Italian shores among boats of migrants departing from the Libyan town of Sirte, and added that “by now, our system of migrant control is functioning quite skillfully.”