Security in Italy's art cities, including Venice, Florence and Rome, will be tightened over the coming holiday weekend following threats from Muslim militants, officials have said.
Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades
The Italian Interior Ministry has sent a letter to security chiefs around the country urging them to be on maximum alert for the Assumption holiday on Sunday - which is also the deadline set by Muslim extremists for Italy to pull its forces out of Iraq or face attacks.
"This particular historic moment has imposed the need for preventive measures even in Florence, a city of art," the police headquarters in the Tuscan capital said in a statement.
"We have decided to intensify security at the main monuments and the most-frequented piazzas," it said - steps that are being taken in art cities across Italy.
A militant group claiming links to al-Qaeda sent a statement on the first of the month to a London-based newspaper giving Italy 15 days to withdraw its 2,700 troops from Iraq - the third-largest foreign force there.
"Our cells in Rome and in all other Italian cities are prepared and ready to carry out their mission after the end of the truce on the 15th of this month," the group Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades said in a subsequent statement.
"You won't feel safe in your homes."