Italy police arrest 20 on terrorism charges

ROME, Nov 6 (Reuters) Italian police have arrested 20 foreigners suspected of terrorist activity, police sources today said.

During the operation, ordered by Milan prosecutors and being carried out in the northern Italian cities of Milan, Bergamo, Varese, Reggio Emilia and abroad, police said they seized poisons and long distance ignition devices for explosives.

The operation is still in progress, police said, adding that they had also found instruction documents on guerrilla warfare techniques.

Police believe the arrested people have been setting up ''Salafist jihadi'' cells which recruited and assisted would-be suicide bombers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The suspects are also accused of illegal immigration, falsifying identity documents and helping to hide people sought for terrorist activity, the police said.

Reuters SS GC1446