What gave the anniversary a special significance this year was that, a quarter of a century later, Italians were again braced for a terrorist attack, but from a different quarter. The capture in Rome of Hassan Osman, who also goes under the name of Hamdi Issac and is wanted in London as the fourth suspect in the July 21 quartet of failed bombings has intensified Italian fears their country is the next likely Islamist terror target.

The London bombings "reflect a significant alarm level for our own country," warned the Italian secret service in a report to parliament made public Wednesday. What happened in London, the report went on, "was another indication that (terrorists) have ongoing projects to strike social and economic sectors of 'the European enemy.'"

Carlo De Stefano, a top official in the anti-terror police put it more succinctly earlier this week: "Unfortunately the possibility of an attack in Italy exists, even though the security forces have put in motion every possible measure to prevent it," he said.

The secret service report said the heightened threat was coming partly from Islamist militants returning to Italy from fighting in Iraq. But an additional concern of Italian investigators expressed by De Stefano is that Hamdi Issac appears to belong to an ad hoc or "impromptu" group with no ties to any broader terrorist network in Italy.

Based on their investigations, De Stefano was quoted as saying, "We can say that no links exist with a terrorist group active in Italy." But these impromptu groups, wrote Italian terrorism expert Francesco Grignetti in the Turin newspaper La Stampa, "are precisely the new nightmare of Europe's police."

The 27-year-old Briton of Ethiopian descent was captured Friday in a Rome apartment. On the basis of their investigations, the Italians later arrested two of his brothers, though not on terrorism charges, at least for the moment.

Both are living in Italy, one in Brescia, and the other in Rome. The latter, named by police as Remzi Issac, was the first member of the family to arrive in Italy 1989; and was granted asylum after posing as a Somali political refugee. Hamdi and another brother, Wahib, joined him in Italy in 1991, and both subsequently moved to London in 1996. A fourth brother is in Canada, say Italian investigators.

According to British news reports, investigators from London flew to Rome to interrogate Hassan Osman/Hamdi Issac, and, to their chagrin, have so far not be allowed to do so by their Italian counterparts.

A British extradition request is also being considered by the Italian court. But an Italian source told the Rome media the authorities in Rome were cooperating fully with the British. Referring to the extradition request De Stefano said, "We hope it won't take long."

The British suspect has denied any links to the al Qaida terrorist group or to the July 7 bombings in London in which 56 people, including four bombers, were killed. He is said to have told Italian investigators that the subsequent attacks were meant as a "demonstration" and not intended to cause death.

Since the arrest on Friday the police have searched 15 locations in Rome, Brescia, Milan and Udine to which Osman/Issac made phone calls on his cellphone. De Stefano told reporters that investigators were also looking into information from their London counterparts that he had made at least one call to Saudi Arabia.

In Rome Hassan Osman also visited a mosque in the Rome district of Centocelle. Security agents earlier this week searched the imam's office and questioned the cleric.

Besides beefing up security measures in the wake of the London bombings -- such as requiring cellphone users to register -- the Italian authorities have also tried to reach out to Muslims. On a recent afternoon, Rome city officials met leading Muslims to discuss coexistence. "Rome is a city that is open to everybody," city council chairman Giuseppe Mannino told them. "You are our brothers."

Mario Scialoja, a former Italian ambassador who converted to Islam and heads a lobby group for improving the status of Muslims in Italy, was quoted as praising the Italian government for its calm reaction to the London attacks. He said incidents against Muslims following the London bombings have been very few, and minor ones at that.

One underlying problem in the quest for improved relations, however well intended, is that Italy does not formally recognize Islam as a religion, and as a result the mosques serving Italy's more than 1 million Muslims are not officially recognized as places of worship, and followers of Islam have to work on their holidays.

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