ROME – Italy has increased its level of alert for possible terrorist plots within the country, although no specific threats have been identified at this time, interior minister Angelino Alfano said in a statement on Monday.

The increased threat of a terrorist attack is primarily based on a concern that Italy could prove a tempting target for the Sunni Islamic extremist group ISIS, especially in the wake of the recent airstrikes on ISIS territory, which Italy has not been directly engaged in, but does support. Even furthering the anxiety of Italian Government officials, is the estimate that roughly 50 Italian nationals are currently fighting alongside ISIS forces.

Minister Alfano went on to elaborate how Italy could prove to be a uniquely tempting target for terrorists because it “is the seat of Christianity and because of other important decisions parliament has made in recent months.” Referring to the Vatican and Italy’s recent decisions to indirectly increase support for attacks against ISIS.

The discovery of Italian nationals fighting for ISIS pulls Italy into the same sphere as many of its European allies who have made similar discoveries about their citizens, and now face the complicated problem of deciding just how to deal with them.

"A consolidated list has been created that enables us to know the exact size of the phenomenon and all of its various nuances," Claudio Galzerano, the head of the International Anti-terrorism Division of the Preventative Policing Unit (UCIGOS), recently told Sky television. Despite the clear difficulties in addressing the problem, he went on to state his confidence in Italy’s ability to handle the situation. "We have a precise count of how many Italians have gone to fight with ISIS because there is an excellent level of osmosis in the Italian security community, with the intelligence side on one hand and law enforcement on the other."