Italian police arrested 142 suspects in a major anti-terrorist operation in the northern Lombardy region following Thursday's attacks on London, Ansa news agency reported Saturday. The two-day operation - which used metal detectors, sniffer dogs and special forces - involved 2,000 carabinieri officers who monitored train and underground stations and possible terrorist targets in the Milan region. The sweep netted one and a half kilograms of explosives which were to undergo further tests, the report said. A total of 7,000 suspects were investigated. Of those arrested for various crimes, there were 83 immigrants of whom 52 are to be deported, the report said. Italy, a possible target for terrorists for its presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, stepped up security measures in the wake of the London attacks, dpa reported. --SP 1923 Local Time 1623 GMT
