Wary : The Vatican 's head of security , Domenico Giani ( pictured ) has revealed that the threat to the Pope from Isis is 'real ' The Vatican is on alert in case of . an attack by Islamist militants against the city-state or Pope . Francis , but officials are not aware of any specific plot , the . head of Vatican security said in a rare interview . 'The threat exists . This is what has emerged from . conversations with Italian and foreign colleagues , ' Domenico . Giani told an Italian police magazine when asked if threats from Islamic State militants were . credible . ' ( But ) at the moment I can say that we are not aware of any . plan to attack the Vatican or the Holy Father , ' he added in the . interview , published on the magazine 's website on Monday . Giani has a force of some 130 agents protecting most of the Vatican and the Pope , with the help of the more ceremonial Swiss Guard . The Italian police guard the exterior , as well as St. Peter 's Square . Twenty of his agents , Giani explained , have specialist anti-terror training and guard the Pope when he 's abroad . He told Polizia Moderna : 'Twenty Vatican bodyguards have received special training that makes them suitable also ready to use in anti-terrorist actions . Some of them accompany the Pope during his international travels . ' The security operation at the Vatican is aided by a command and control centre that Giani says has a 'high level ' of technology , along with thousands of surveillance cameras . The Vatican is on alert in case of an attack by Islamist militants against the city-state or Pope Francis , but officials are not aware of any specific plot , Giani said in a rare interview . Islamic State militants have made threats against Catholic . targets in Rome that have been given much space in Italian . media . Last month , in a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian . Coptic Christians in Libya , one of the killers said : 'Safety for . you crusaders is something you can only wish for ... We will . conquer Rome , by the will of Allah . ' A website used by militants ran a photo montage showing the . movement 's black flag flying from the obelisk at the centre of . St. Peter 's Square . Giani said the alert level was 'constantly high ' in and . around the tiny city-state , which sits inside Rome . The Swiss Guard are largely ceremonial , but do offer another layer of security at the Vatican . The threat from 'lone wolf ' operators are considered by his security team as particularly dangerous because they 're 'unpredictable ' . They are also aware that some people may try and carry out an act of violence at the Vatican because it would guarantee them maximum media coverage . What makes their job more challenging is that the Holy Father is not willing to abandon speaking to his followers directly during visits . Giani said : 'The Holy Father is not abandoning the style of his pontificate ... he does not want to lose touch with his flock . Therefore , we ... have to adjust to him , and not vice versa . ' Many Islamic countries ensure that there is a flow of intelligence directed at the Vatican - and have a great deal of respect for the Pope . Giani said : 'Many Islamic countries not only give me valuable information , but also esteem and admiration for the Holy Father . ' Last month , in the wake of killings by Islamist militants in . Paris and Copenhagen , 4,800 soldiers were placed on the streets . throughout Italy . Francis has several times condemned attacks by Islamic . militants . On Sunday , he called for an end to their 'intolerable . brutality ' .
Domenico Giani , head of Vatican security , has given a rare interview . He revealed that he has a 130-strong team of agents guarding the Pope . Of those , 21 have specialist anti-terror training and guard the Pope abroad .