ROME, July 13 (UPI) -- Italian police said Saturday they had arrested eight men suspected of providing logistical support for Osama bin Laden's al Qaida terrorist network, as local authorities tightened security in Rome, Florence and Venice amid reports of possible additional attacks.
The suspects -- all but one of whom are North African Muslims -- were apprehended Thursday after a sting operation in Milan. A ninth suspect eluded police and is being sought.
In a statement released Saturday, police said the men were seized for trafficking false identity papers, including forged Italian passports, drivers' licenses, residence permits and government documents from Belgium, England, France, Germany and Spain.
The statement said police suspect the men may have provided false identity papers to three or more of the hijackers who carried out Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon just outside of Washington.
"Preliminary information indicates that these men have been providing logistical support (for al Qaida) for many months," a police official told United Press International on condition of anonymity. "There is evidence that they may have done so for some of the men involved in the Sept. 11 attack."
The newest detentions bring the total number of suspected al Qaida operatives arrested in Italy since Sept. 11 to at least 55. Law enforcement officials have declined to provide details about suspects in custody, and it is not clear how many have been released.
According to local media reports, at least two of the men apprehended Thursday -- 36-year-old Mohamed Kazdari and his 32-year-old brother Said Kazdari -- had already spent time in jail on forgery-related charges.
The arrests came as police stepped up security in several parts of Italy following reports of potential attacks on tourist venues, U.S. government posts, the Vatican and a Jewish neighborhood.
A Ministry of Justice official told UPI about 50 percent more police are on duty in Rome, Florence and Venice. Television news showed small submarines patrolling the harbor in Venice, extra police near the U.S. Embassy and the main Jewish synagogue in Rome and military air patrols over some areas.
It is the third time this year that warnings associated with al Qaida have sparked extra security efforts in parts of Italy.
Late last year, U.S. officials said an Islamic cultural center and adjacent mosque in Milan were part of al Qaida's main base in Europe, something leaders of the mosque have denied.
Police did not say how long they expected to maintain heightened security.
