Suspect package sent to EU embassy in Berne-police

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters

Dec 23 (Reuters) - Swiss police said on Thursday a suspect package had been sent to the European Union embassy in Berne.

Parts of the building have been cleared and the package was being investigated, a spokeswoman for Berne police said.

Police in Rome were checking embassies on Thursday after two people were injured in separate explosions at the Swiss and Chilean missions.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6BM1GL20101223

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I don't get why they targeted Chile. Does anybody know?

[Joanne98]

1. Suspect parcel in Berne is Christmas present: police

Reuters) - Part of the European Union embassy in Berne was evacuated on Thursday after a scare over a suspect package -- but it turned out to be a Christmas present, Swiss police said.

The parcel was investigated and was quickly declared to be safe, the Berne police said in a statement.

Police in Rome were checking embassies on Thursday after two people were injured in separate explosions at the Swiss and Chilean missions. The government suggested the blasts could be the work of anarchist groups.

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINTRE6BM2RI20101223

Jumpy aren't they? lol

[pampango]

2. CSM: Rome explosions at embassies linked to Italian anarchists

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/1223/Rome-explosions-at-embassies-linked-to-Italian-anarchists

Two small bombs exploded today at the Swiss and Chile embassies in Rome, injuring two people. The Rome explosions follow the the discovery of a fake bomb Wednesday on Rome's subway. Anonymous callers alerted police today that the presidential palace could also be targeted, but that report turned out to be a false alarm. So far no group has claimed responsibility for today's attacks. Many experts, however, say the bombings, which come about six weeks after a string of parcel bombs in Greece targeted embassies (including the Swiss embassy), appear to be the work of Italian anarchists. Likewise, the parcel-bomb attacks in Athens last month were also blamed on anarchist groups.

The attacks follows weeks of student protests against the proposed reform of the university system and, more broadly, against the current right-wing government. Earlier this week the students staged huge protests in Rome and in Milan, while last month a group of students stormed Pisa's world famous leaning tower. “Anarchist groups are probably trying to exploit the climate of social unrest to their agenda," says Giampiero Giacomello, professor of Strategic Studies at the University of Bologna. “There's a lot of tension now in the streets, with the students and the labor unions very much upset at the government, while the ruling coalition is in a relatively weak position."

But Giacomello has another explanation: He says the attack against the Swiss embassy may be a response to the recent Swiss ban on minarets. “It seems like a move to show solidarity to the Muslim population, or perhaps to seek an alliance with Muslim extremists," he says. “This would be an unprecedented event in Italy's history."

Italy has a long history of domestic terrorism carried out by fascist, communist, and anarchist groups. It was shocked by a wave of attacks in the 1970s and early 1980s (the so-called Years of Lead).