A 53-year-old staffer at the Swiss embassy may lose his left hand after a parcel bomb detonated while he was holding a piece of mail, and a staff member at the Chilean embassy was also injured in a similar matter, although less seriously.
The Thursday blasts are sure to fuel fears of the possibility of more terrorist attacks this Christmas holiday. Police said they were monitoring all embassies in Rome, Reuters reported.
Italian authorities suspected that the mail bombs were an “attack with terrorist aims,” as Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told reporters that the explosions were a “serious threat” against the diplomatic missions, AFP reported.
Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said that the blasts were a “wave of terrorism” that was “much more worrisome than a single attack,” according to the New York Times.
The explosions come just two days after an improvised bomb was found in a Rome subway train. Authorities later said that the package contained explosives but did not have a detonator.
Another suspicious package was discovered Thursday at the Ukrainian embassy, while two additional bomb threats were reported at the Rome city council offices. All three incidents turned out to be false alarms, according to ANSA.
