SOLDIERS and paramilitary troops toting semi-automatic rifles patrolled outside the Colosseum and inside St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, as Italy joined the rest of Europe in beefing up security a day after terrorist attacks in Paris.

    U.K. officials shut down a terminal of Britain’s No. 2 airport for hours after a man was spotted discarding what looked like a firearm.

    Europe has been mostly free of land-based border checks for decades, but the attacks prompted authorities in countries from Belgium to Hungary to re-impose spot inspections of vehicles.

    In southern Germany, Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soeder insisted the country needs to know who is entering and railed against cherished European borderless travel, citing the Paris attacks.

    Soeder, a member of the conservative sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, made the comments as Bavarian officials confirmed that firearms, explosives and hand grenades were found when undercover police stopped a man near the German-Austrian border Nov. 5.

    Authorities declined to confirm reports the man appeared to be en route to Paris, but said there were “reasonable grounds” to assume that there may be a link to the Paris attacks.

    Following a request from France, Germany ramped up border controls, focusing on road, rail and air traffic from France to Germany.

    British officials called in explosive specialists and evacuated the North Terminal at Gatwick Airport after a French man got rid of an item authorities said appeared to be a firearm. The man was arrested on suspicion of firearms offenses, though authorities were not sure whether the weapon was useable.

    London was among cities that put in place high-visibility patrols at key locations to reassure citizens, with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe stressing that the “scale of the attacks and the range of weaponry used by the terrorists are a serious cause for concern.”

    Britain and Spain did not raise their terror threat levels, but Italy hiked its own to the second-highest possible, allowing for rapid deployment of special forces if necessary.

    In Rome, tourists visiting historic sites ended up seeing heavily armed troops including 700 soldiers sent to beef up security. Italy’s Sky TG24 television said police checked sewer manholes on a road leading to the Vatican to ensure no explosives had been planted.

    Nordic nations like Denmark sent officers with semi-automatic weapons to patrol outside foreign embassies where usually no police are posted.

    Finnish police said they were increasing surveillance in airports and harbors, while Romania announced that French institutions in the country had canceled cultural events and a French cinema closed until Dec. 18.

    (SD-Agencies)