Italy School Bomb: Blast Kills One, Injures At Least 6

ROME, May 19 (Reuters) - One person was killed and six people were injured when a bomb exploded near a school in Brindisi in southern Italy on Saturday, an official at the Civil Protection Authority said.

He said it was unclear if one or two devices had exploded in the incident but said: "Given the effect of the explosion, it appears that this was something quite powerful."

No further details were immediately available. (Reporting By James Mackenzie; Editing by Tim Pearce)

Comments

[theroundearth]

09:54 AM on 05/20/2012

At the end of WWII the U.S. sent Italo-American mobsters back to Italy, fostering a mafia resurgence.
Now, a mafia involvement in this incident doesn't make much sense… but who knows?… even the mafia today –with its international connections– is no more what it once was.

[MolliBlum]

11:20 AM on 05/20/2012

True -- the many comments on this thread romanticising the Hollywood-enshrined "honour code" of the mafia in not targeting "women and children" is misplaced. Not only is the mafia now heavily involved in the drug trade (which targets youth more than anyone else) but also, the school where the bomb went off bore the name of a woman assassinated by the mafia -- and that incident itself (a bomb placed under a road bridge and remotely detonated as Falcone's car drove over) could quite easily have caused the deaths of any other unsuspecting road users at the same time (including a family car carrying children)

I'd be curious to know whether the anti-mafia march scheduled in the town on that day was perhaps routed to pass by this building and, if so, whether the bomb merely went off at the wrong time...

[Richard John Mattley]

09:48 AM on 05/20/2012

sad...very sad indeed! :(

[Richard John Mattley]

09:38 AM on 05/20/2012

no words...sad, very sad indeed! :(

[Annespeaks]

08:59 AM on 05/20/2012

Why do they have to bomb schools?

[hoodoomon80]

07:59 AM on 05/20/2012

planting bombs in itself is "sick"...that said...it's unbelievable that someone is sick enough to plant them at a school...WOW...WHY??

[straightuptalker]

05:50 AM on 05/20/2012

Sounds like the authorities really don't have a clue, so they naturally blame this incident on the Mafiosi. I, on the other hand, would venture to guess this was the act of a terrorist group, not Italians. Although members of this organized crime unit is known for retaliation, they would never bomb their own school children, unlike some other country's fanatical extremists that's known for blowing up their own citizens.

[MolliBlum]

11:25 AM on 05/20/2012

The Brindisi mafia are heavily involved with Albanian mobsters. As for "blowing up their own citizens"... well, yes, the mafia would. The very fact that the bomb was placed outside a building named in honour of a woman they assassinated 20 years ago, almost to the day, suggests quite strongly that there might be a mafia connection here.

[yo drewski]

03:37 AM on 05/20/2012

Italy has immigrants, but it's not nearly as immigrant-saturated as Germany, France or UK. So, in a fairly homogeneous country (measured by general cultural standards, not by regional differences), who in Italy is going to be willing to bomb a school and specifically target children?

[MolliBlum]

11:33 AM on 05/20/2012

I wonder whether they were specifically targeting children... First of all, it may have been a symbolic act as a reminder that they had assassinated the woman the building was named after (20 years ago this weekend). Secondly, it would be very interesting to know whether the planned anti-mafia march that day was meant to pass by that spot. Maybe the bomb went off at the wrong time. Or maybe they really didn't care about the kids after all. We'll have to wait and see what information comes out.

[SickOfBarf]

12:36 AM on 05/20/2012

The Brits are reporting the G8 is coming down on Merkel for the harsh austerity programs that are being forced upon countries in the EU.

More on the mafia problem in Italy, Italians are saying the mafia has gained control of food supplies and are deliberately mislabeling what the food is. For example, Italian restaurants report they have to buy old beef but are told it's young calves. The Italian people are saying the mafia is a huge problem in Italy.

[SickOfBarf]

12:05 AM on 05/20/2012

London is now reporting the bombing of the Italian school.

The Italian Police had been raiding mafia strongholds and the school bombing is thought to be in retaliation for the raids. One student was killed, another seriously injured. An anti-mafia Priest was sent a pig's head by the mafia. Also, Italian media is reporting a large earthquake.

Here's a link in English to the British media:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9277318/Teenage-schoolgirl-killed-in-suspected-Mafia-bomb-is-named-as-Melissa-Bassi.html

[SickOfBarf]

11:19 PM on 05/19/2012

I saw on the Italian news that they are blaming the mafioso for the blast.

Interesting also is the recent EU lineup that may or may not have anything to do with this blast. This is info I got a few days ago --

Italy is pulling away from the Vatican dictates and -- away from Germany.

Then Germany tried linking in heavily with France only to find themselves in a pickle since the French ousted Germany's guy -- and installed a liberal as the French President -- and the German voters then ousted Merkel's strongholds.

A lot of us wondered if violence would ensue from EU or Vatican goons. The mafia is heavily connected to the Vatican and the Vatican is who designed and largely controls the EU. It had already been reported numerous times to the Vatican that the people simply were not buying the EU dictates. The Vatican told the EU reps to "ignore the people" and continue as directed.

The current protests against the EU concern the austerity programs the EU is attempting to impose on everyone.

Things are getting very interesting in the EU. EU watchers seem to think the EU will link in with terrorists to force their will upon everyone.

When I hear from the Italians, I'll post it.

[pucpaul]

10:43 PM on 05/19/2012

Mafia doesn't and has never killed children, and would not do anything that chickensheet.

[SickOfBarf]

12:37 AM on 05/20/2012

They are now.

[pynekone3]

10:36 PM on 05/19/2012

stupido imbecillio strunso kissialto....

[Cheryl Casale]

10:31 PM on 05/19/2012

NO IT WASNT THE ITALIAN MAFIA, AN ITAIAN MAN WONT KILL CHILDREN OR WOMEN THERE REALLY CLOSE TO THERE FAMILIES AND ARE RASIED TO LOVE THERE MOTHERS AND CHILDREN , I DONT THINK IT WAS THEM,

[dino504]

11:18 PM on 05/19/2012

Actually the mafia in italy is notorious for its use of bombs as assassination tools. Also, the gangsters of today don't follow the "code" like they used to back in the day.

[Cheryl Casale]

09:11 PM on 05/20/2012

yes your right , people are so mean and hateful now adays its sad .

[SickOfBarf]

11:25 PM on 05/19/2012

The Italian media thinks it was the mafia.

Just a few days ago things were being said that expressed fear that Germany would link in with terrorists because Italy pulled away from Germany and the EU -- and that means pulling away from the Vatican.

When this began happening, what Germany did was beef up support for their guy in France (the French President), but he was just ousted by the voters and France now has a liberal President. To make matters worse for Germany, Merkel's stronghold was ousted by German voters.

The austerity program Germany is harshly imposing on everyone in the EU is unacceptable and is the reason for these changes, and for Germany and the Vatican it shakes up their control of the EU.

Many fear the violence will get worse.

[christina biscontin]

05:14 AM on 05/20/2012

You have to remember half the TV channels in Italy are state owned, therefore their news is heavily slanted towards the governments wishes, but having lived in Italy and personaly known several "connected" Families in Italy, I can say Cheryl is right one of the few unspoken rules in the mafioso is no children or families if you have a problem with someone you go at them not their kids, they are not Columbians or russian mob, even though the world is changing the Italian mob in Italy has always taken pride in still following the old ways. This sounds like the state is trying to turn public opinion against the mob.

[tallen]

10:26 PM on 05/19/2012

Hmmm...the mafia is really not known to randomly kill kids.

These days, the ones doing that are the jihadists. But here---I can't see that one either.

[tgwine 123]

09:23 PM on 05/19/2012

IM sure the mob has others to kill instead of kids. Give me a break

[SickOfBarf]

11:42 PM on 05/19/2012

The Vatican is going to do everything they think they can get by with to keep the EU intact and maintain control.

That's the same Vatican that imprisoned children and murdered them during WWII.