Italy on high alert

"Italy is on a state of high alert for possible terrorist attacks during the final phase of the elections campaign. Voting is scheduled to take place on April 9 and 10, and it is feared that Islamic militants may strike immediately before voting to maximize its political impact."

A terrorist attack just before polling will undoubtedly influence the outcome of the elections, despite protestations to the contrary by Italian politicians.

"On a different note, terrorist attacks would seriously undermine the position of Italy's mainstream Muslim community which already faces widespread discrimination and are nowhere near as integrated as other Muslim immigrant communities in Western Europe"

source: jamestown.org