Italy arrests 10 suspected of attempting to join Islamic State

MILAN, Italy, July 1 (UPI) -- Italian security forces announced Wednesday the arrests of 10 people suspected of planning to travel to Syria to fight for the Islamic State.

The arrests occurred after dawn raids in the Italian cities of Milan, Bergamo, Grosseto and a town in Albania. Four Italian citizens, five Albanians and a Canadian citizen were arrested.

They came from two families, one a group of Italians who converted to Islam and the second a group of Albanian residents living in Grossetto. The families are connected by the marriage of a young couple.

Italy raised its terror alert level on Friday after the deadly attacks in France, where a man was decapitated, and in Tunisia, where at least 37 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on a beach in a resort town. Both attacks were affiliated with the IS.

The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center estimates there are more than 20,000 people from around the world fighting for the IS or other militant Islamist groups in Syria.