A counterterrorism exercise at Rome's Fiumicino Airport simulated a hybrid attack combining cybercrime and terrorism.

The effectiveness of the "Leonardo da Vinci" Plan has been successfully tested: Polaria, the Police Headquarters, the Prefecture, the COSC of Rome, NOCS and specialist offices were involved in a complex crisis simulation.

A complex counterterrorism exercise called "Hybrid Threat" was held at Rome Fiumicino Airport , organized by the Italian State Police as part of the Department of Public Security's periodic training program. The exercise's objective was to assess the airport security system's response capacity and test the effectiveness of the "Leonardo da Vinci" emergency management plan by simulating a hybrid threat scenario combining a cyber attack with a terrorist attack.

The exercise tested the operational and communication coordination between the various components involved in airport security, confirming the high level of interoperability between the forces involved.

The scenario: first the hacker attack, then the armed commando

The simulation involved a particularly complex and realistic sequence of events.

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Initially, a hacker attack affected the airport's check-in and boarding systems, causing boarding and flight operations to be halted. The disruption quickly caused Terminal 5 to overcrowd , creating a critical situation for passenger management.

Subsequently, taking advantage of the confusion and the presence of numerous people inside the terminal, a commando composed of five terrorists armed with knives went into action , simulating the wounding of some passengers and the taking of others hostage.

A scenario built to reproduce one of the most insidious threats to modern strategic infrastructures, in which cyber attacks can represent a prelude to terrorist actions on the ground.

The safety device has been activated

The emergency management saw the immediate activation of all components of the airport security system.

The Polaria , the Police Headquarters , the Prefecture , the competent specialist offices, the COSC of Rome for the management of the cyber component and the NOCS operators , who intervened in the simulation for the resolution of the terrorist event and the release of the hostages, operated in a coordinated manner.

The exercise allowed us to test the procedures established to counter acts of unlawful interference and the response capacity of the various structures called upon to deal with highly complex scenarios.

The effectiveness of safety protocols confirmed

According to what was communicated by the State Police , the training activity confirmed the high level of interoperability between all the forces employed and the full validity of the operational protocols foreseen to face terrorist threats and hybrid attacks.

Exercises of this type are a fundamental tool for maintaining high security standards for national strategic infrastructures, allowing operators to refine procedures, improve inter-force coordination, and verify the timeliness of interventions in scenarios that combine physical and cyber threats.