Bombs Explode at Embassies in Rome

More chaos in Italy...

From The Wall Street Journal article by Nathania Zevi and Liam Moloney (via Drudge):

"Parcel bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean Embassies in Italy's capital on Thursday, injuring two people and raising concerns of possible terrorist attacks in the country's shopper-packed streets ahead of the Christmas holidays.

"The police are investigating whether violent anarchist groups are behind the bombings, said Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, following similar attacks in Greece last month.

"'Various elements lead us to believe that this is the correct path,' he was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency, according to the Associated Press. 'These are very violent groups that are also present in Spain and Greece and are very well connected.'

"A spokesman for Italy's police department said law-enforcement officers were carrying out inspections at other embassies in Rome. There was a false alarm at the Ukrainian Embassy.

"The attacks highlight concerns that the threat of terrorist attacks in Europe is escalating. On Tuesday, British police arrested 12 men in a counterterrorism operation. Earlier this month, a suicide bomber blew himself up in Stockholm near streets frequented by Christmas shoppers, the first serious attempt by Islamic extremists targeting civilians in Sweden.

[...]

"The Rome prosecutor's office has launched a probe into the bombs, said a person close to the investigators.

"The bombs follow other unrest in Italy. On Wednesday, students protesting a bill aimed at overhauling the Italian university system filled the country's main streets, and scuffles broke out in the southern city of Palermo, in Sicily. Last week, a similar protest turned violent in Rome.

"On Tuesday, a fake bomb was found on an empty train carriage in Rome's subway, in what police said might also have been an effort to protest the university bill.

"'I don't think these have the same source as the one found on the Rome metro,' Gianni Alemanno, Rome's mayor, told reporters after speaking to the Swiss ambassador."

It is likely that violence will continue as the various European governments deal with their financial shortfalls by raising fees and taxes (although cheating on taxes is very common in Italy), and cutting back their government programs. It's sort of like super-violent lobbying. The real question is to what extent the violence will escalate.

I'm also curious as to why a bomb was sent to the Chilean embassy...

UPDATE: Anarchists of claimed responsibility for the embassy bombs.

From the AGI:

"'We have decided to raise our voice again, with actions too; we'll destroy the system. Up with FAI, up with anarchy'. The parcel bomb sent to the Chilean embassy in Rome was claimed by the FAI anarchist group, according to the Police. The note with the message was contained in a small box, found near the clothes of the employee who opened the explosive parcel. FAI stands for Federazione Anarchica Informale, already familiar to the investigators. . ."