Dec. 23: Two people were injured Thursday in separate, but similar, bomb blasts at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome. It was not immediately clear if the attacks were linked, police said. In the first incident, which took place around midday, a parcel exploded in the hands of 53-year-old Swiss man employed in the mailing department of his country's embassy in the Italian capital.
The man was taken to Rome’s Umberto I hospital for treatment, including to a badly damaged left hand which may need to be amputated, reports said. A few hours later, another package, exploded at the Chilean embassy, injuring an official. The man was “not in danger” and was “in a good condition”, the Chilean ambassador, Mr Oscar Godoy, said.
Italian authorities subsequently announced that controls would be carried out at various foreign embassies which, in the meantime, were also warned to be on the lookout for any suspicious parcels or activity on their premises. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said he had issued a similar alert to Italian embassies abroad.
Frattini also said it was 'premature' to say who was responsible for the attacks, and cautioned against spreading 'alarmist' reactions. In his nation's capital, Santiago, Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno said: 'We do not know where the attacks are coming from.'
He noted that he saw no connection between the countries that were targeted. Chile would reinforce security in all its diplomatic missions, although 'everything seems to be circumscribed to Rome', Moreno said.