Security concerns about this weekend's G8 summit in Genoa were dramatically heightened yesterday following two separate letter bomb attacks, one in Genoa itself and the other in the Abruzzo town of Avezzano.
In the first attack in Genoa, 20-year-old police officer, Mr Stefano Storri, suffered first and second degree burns to his face and hands after opening a package that had been sent to the carabinieri station in the San Fruttuoso district of the city.
Following emergency surgery at Genoa's San Martino hospital, it was confirmed that, although the policeman's condition was not life threatening, he risked losing an eye.
The other possibly related letter bomb incident occurred in Avezzano, where detective Alessio Cesareo and policeman Andrea Coccia were both injured after the detective opened a package sent to the police station. Detective Cesareo, who opened the package, yesterday evening underwent surgery for serious hand injuries.
Even if by late yesterday no one had claimed responsibility for either incident, government and police spokesmen had little doubt but that both letter bombs were connected to this weekend's G8 summit of the world's seven leading industrial powers plus Russia.
Genoa is currently under a heavy security blanket, in expectation of violent demonstrations from a small minority of the 150,000 strong anti-globalisation protest movement expected.
Commenting on yesterday morning's Genoa attack, the Interior Minister, Mr Claudio Scajola, suggested that the episode was "intended to heighten tension prior to the G8," adding: "The attack in Genoa is a very serious incident that can be attributed to a minority fringe of the [anti-globalisation] protest and it seems very similar to the attack on the Musacco police station in Milan two years ago."
That last mentioned attack was allegedly carried out by "Revolutionary Proletarian Nucleus", a tiny, hardline left-wing group with links to the old Red Brigade movement.
Not only Italian government spokesmen but also leading figures in the anti-globalisation protest movement condemned yesterday's incidents. Speaking on behalf of the Genoa Social Forum, an umbrella organisation dedicated to a peaceful protest, Mr Vittorio Agnoletto said: "This is a serious act of provocation and the intention is to shut us up . . . It is no coincidence that this has happened on the day that our Forum opened."