Arrests made in alleged terror plot against Vatican

Italy arrests suspects in possible plot to attack Rome

St. Peter's Basilica. (Photo Credit: Lisa Cancade Hackett)

Italian police arrested four individuals and issued arrest warrants for two more on suspicion of conspiring with the Islamic State terrorist group. One of the suspects reportedly planned an attack on the Vatican and the Israeli embassy in Rome.

Authorities said suspect Abderrahim Moutahrrick reportedly received a WhatsApp message from ISIS-held territory that read: "Dear brother Abderrahim, I send you… the bomb poem… listen to the sheik and strike," potentially referring ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Moutahrrick was identified as Moroccan-born but residing in Italy at the time.

The potential attack on the Vatican was found in transcripts of a wire-tapped phone conversation between three of the the suspects, according to Reuters.

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