ROME, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Italy has deported a Moroccan prison inmate who said he intended to carry out a terrorist attack as soon as he was let of jail, the Interior Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

The 41-year-old was serving a prison sentence in the northern industrial city of Busto Arsizio for "crimes against the person", which in Italy can mean theft, rape, or a number of other crimes.

While behind bars, he "expressed contempt for Italy and confided that he intended to carry out an attack in our country," the ministry said. The man was put on a plane from Milan to Casablanca, Morocco, as soon as he was released from prison after serving his term.

Italy has deported 41 religious extremists so far this year, and expelled a total of 278 potentially dangerous people since Jan. 1, 2015.