Italian police begins huge anti-terrorism operation

Hundreds of police and paramilitary Carabinieri officers were searching homes and buildings in several cities, including Turin, Florence, Bologna, Rome and Naples, and on the island of Sicily, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

The operation was reportedly aimed at verifying the movements of suspected Islamic radicals, but police did not say if any arrests had been made.

The measures announced Tuesday in parliament by Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu include closer monitoring of suspects, doubling from 12 to 24 hours the length of time a suspect can be held without being charged, questioning of terrorism suspects without the presence of lawyers and easier access to mobile phone and Internet records.