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| Europe |
| Italy: Libyan bomber targeted Berlusconi and other politicians |
| 2009-11-15 |
| [ADN Kronos] The Libyan man who partly detonated his explosives at an army barracks in the Italian city of Milan in October, apparently had a dossier containing information on Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and other politicians, Italian media reports said on Friday. According to joint investigations by Italy's anti-terror police and a special branch of the paramilitary police, would-be suicide bomber Mohammed Game had carried out painstaking Internet research on at least 15 politicians who were supposed to be his 'potential targets'. Game (photo) is said to have created a dossier on Italian defence minister Ignazio La Russa, interior minister Roberto Maroni and minister without portfolio Roberto Calderoli of the anti-immigrant Northern League party and Italy's senate speaker Gianfranco Fini among others. Reports said Game specifically tried to obtain information about Calderoli's police escort. He also used online applications such as Google Maps and Google Video to obtain information about Calderoli's home in the northern province of Bergamo, near Milan. According to Italian weekly L'Espresso, police found in Game's laptop computer information on the politicians public and private activities, types of transport and habits. Calderoli - known for his anti-immigrant and anti-Islam stance - in 2007 proposed a regular "pig day" in which he threatened to take his pet pig for a walk on land in the Northern League stronghold of the Veneto region where mosques were planned. Pigs are considered unclean in the Muslim and Jewish faiths. Early in October, an Italian soldier was injured after 35-year-old Game exploded a bomb at the entrance of the 'Santa Barbara' barracks using rudimentary explosives reportedly made of solid nitrate. However, not all of the explosives detonated. Two other alleged accomplices, an Egyptian and a Libyan, were arrested after the attack. More than 100 kilogrammes of explosive materials including 40 kilogrammes of ammonium nitrate and other chemicals were seized at an apartment near Game's. While Game suffered severe injuries to his face and his hand was amputated, no other people were injured in his botched bombing attempt. Game is still under arrest while recovering at a hospital in Milan. |
| Posted by:Fred |