Bombs Explode At Two Embassies In Rome
Posted December 23, 2010 9:23 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Bombs concealed in packages exploded at two embassies in Rome Thursday, injuring the two people who opened them.
The first explosion happened around noon (local time) in an office at the Swiss Embassy. The staffer who opened the rigged package suffered a serious hand injury.
The second blast happened around 3pm at the Chilean Embassy. The person who opened that package was also hurt, but there’s no word yet on the extent of their injuries. A false alarm was also reported at the Ukrainian Embassy.
Italian authorities, including Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, said the intent behind the bombings appears to be international in nature as opposed to domestic. Italian prosecutors have opened an inquiry for a suspected ‘attack with terrorist aims.’
But later Thursday, Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the bombings appeared to be the work of anarchists and the incidents were similar to mail bombs sent to 14 embassies in Athens in November.
A fake bomb was discovered on a subway in Rome earlier this week. The device looked menacing – full of powder and rigged with wires – but authorities said it wasn’t explosive.
