Three Palestinian men have been arrested in Italy on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks in Europe.

According to Italian anti-terrorist police, they had been living in l’Aquila, north of Rome, on humanitarian visas.

The authorities allege that they had attempted to establish a “rapid response group” connected to the Tulkarem Brigade of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is linked to the Fatah party of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

The police did not specify which countries they are suspected of targeting.

One of the men has been detained in prison since January following an extradition request from Israel, according to La Repubblica newpaper. His lawyers have filed an application to deny the Israeli request.

The man, who is from the West Bank city of Tulkarem, had served four years in Israeli prisons after he was captured by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in 2006, said La Repubblica. In 2017, he moved to Italy, receiving permanent residency in 2019.