Posted on 06/23/2002 4:57:38 PM PDT by Pokey78
Islamic terrorists linked to al-Qa'eda plotted to destroy Bologna's 14th century cathedral because it contained a medieval fresco depicting the Prophet Mohammed in hell.
The plan was foiled by Italian paramilitary police according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
The group was identified after police intercepted telephone conversations between several Tunisians and Moroccans with links to a Libyan known as Amsa, considered one of Osama bin Laden's chief operatives in Europe.
The cathedral, in the city's central Piazza Maggiore, is dedicated to Bologna's patron saint, San Petronio.
The 15th century Mohammed fresco, in the Bolognini chapel, shows the Prophet being set upon by demons. Four years ago, the chapel was occupied by Islamic immigrants during Ramadan in protest at the fresco, before police intervened.
According to the reports, special branch officers with the paramilitary Carabinieri force first heard of the plan in February. The plotters were said to be linked to Algeria's radical Salafist "Group of Prayer and Combat".
The newspaper said the organisation, headed by an Algerian, was a splinter group of the GIA (Armed Islamic Groups), which had contacts with Muslims in Bologna, Milan, Rome and Naples.
When they overheard the conversations the police were hunting for a presumed North African terrorist cell based in Milan, which was believed to have become active after September 11, and which was thought to have made contact with Muslims in Britain, Holland and Belgium.
In the taped conversations, investigators learnt for the first time of a man referred to as "Amsa the Libyan" who was in his late 30s and lived in Milan.
Police were said to have quickly realised that Amsa was in direct contact with bin Laden's terrorist organisation.
The newspaper said that two months ago Amsa fled to Holland after realising that he was under investigation. He then went to Britain where he was arrested in possession of false documents.
From the taped conversations in Milan, the authorities interpreted what they believed to be signs of plans to attack the American embassy in Amsterdam, and concrete plans for a terrorist raid on Bologna cathedral.
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