Faced with the risk of attack, several European capitals have strengthened their security measures during the end-of-year holidays.
This Tuesday, during the Angelus prayer recited by the Pope, a reinforced security system was put in place around Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Because during this holiday season, the Italian authorities fear terrorist attacks. And they are not the only ones. Several European countries are on alert. This is particularly the case in Austria. In Vienna, the police are much more present in busy places.
“At the time when Jesus was born, the situation was not peaceful either. So this is not new. The good thing is that our police are very vigilant. But you really have to be careful.” , explains Christoph Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna.
On November 29, German domestic intelligence warned of the “real” and “highest in a long time” risk of Islamist attacks in the country, due to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started on October 7 last.
In France, a few days ago, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, called on the prefects to “maintain extreme vigilance” on the occasion of the Christmas and Epiphany holidays, due to ” very high level of the terrorist threat which continues to weigh”.