Hundreds of agents and civil protection members are already present around the Vatican to control traffic and guide the high flow of people who addresses the Basilica of San Pedro to say goodbye to Francisco, after This Wednesday, April 23 will take your body to be exposed in the temple until Friday.
Some 2 thousand carabineros -militarized political -as well as state police officers and finance guard have already been deployed, according to the Interior Ministry. There are also hundreds of agents and patrols of the Local Police of Rome, which will expand their presence up to 2,000 uniformed between Friday, April 25.
The security operation will intensify as the countdown to the funeral approaches, When delegations from some 170 countries will arrive that will include the president of the United States, Donald Trump; to the Ukrainian Volodimir Zelensky; To the heads of government of France and the United Kingdom, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, as well as Prince Guillermo of England or the kings of Spain, among many others.
According to the media, an air exclusion zone of the Vatican is expected that will be extended by Rome, While the area around the Plaza de San Pedro will be armored during Saturday with metal detectors, as well as drones and army air surveillance measures.
According to local media snipers, canine units and explosive detection at street levels will be deployed and underground, military fighters are also ready in case of emergency and devices will be activated to detect hostile drones.
The presence of river police units to patrol the Tiber River and its shores, as well as firefighters, was also expanded.
The surveillance will have to be especially reinforced around the diplomatic and embassy of Rome that will host the respective delegations, especially the residence of the US ambassador, where Donald Trump is expected to be hosted.
Before the arrival of delegations and faithful, It is expected to strengthen safety in train stations and Roman airports in Fiqueycin and Ciampinowhere the management of air traffic and the tracks will adapt to the arrivals of the respective delegations.
In total, the Italian Interior Ministry has planned an infrastructure to host a maximum of 170 delegations, according to the holder of this portfolio, Matteo Piantedosi.
Under the ground, teams from the Office of Public Prevention and Rescue control train stations and metro platforms, and the City Council of Rome has intensified the circulation of meters and buses to the Vatican to facilitate the arrival until the Basilica of San Pedro.
To complete the security picture, in turn, new generation mechanisms deployed by the Police that include a 3D system to guarantee a 360 degree vision of the areas surrounding the Plaza de San Pedro del Vaticano were activated, a type of surveillance that the event security management center performs, according to the media.
To see more: live: they transfer the coffin of Pope Francis to the Basilica of San Pedro
Another critical matter for security will be the route that will be done with the Pope’s coffin from the Vatican to the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor, in the center of Rome, where it will be buried.
“Given the great participation we expect, we have decided to make the tour public,” said the Prefect of Rome, Lamberto Giannini, who did not report what will be the path that will be followed, although he remarked that the citizens will be allowed to say goodbye to Francisco on his last trip to the burial. EFE