Only two kilometers from the stadium: bomb alarm before the European Championship game in Rome


Only two kilometers from the stadium
Bomb alarm before the European Championship game in Rome

Alarm in Rome: Before the European Championship game between Italy and Switzerland, a bomb clearance squad moves out. A car owner found an explosive device on his car. Contrary to initial fears, there is no connection to the European Football Championship.

A car bomb alarm caused road closures and excitement in Rome before the European Championship game. A few hours before the match between Italy and Switzerland kicked off, a car bomb was discovered on a car near the stadium. The “Corriere della Sera” reported that the vehicle was in the Prati district, only two kilometers from the Olympic Stadium.

At around 5:40 p.m., the police headquarters were informed about a car with suspicious wires in Via Tito Spiri. At this point in time, there were already a lot of EM fans out and about, some on the way to the stadium, some in the city’s cafes and restaurants. Surrounding streets were closed.

It was reportedly a handcrafted explosive device with gunpowder and bolts. According to the newspaper “La Repubblica”, the car owner informed the police of the discovery that afternoon. Due to the proximity to the stadium, the media did not initially rule out possible references to the European Football Championship.

However, according to “Corriere dello Sport” it is more likely to be a private feud. The car owner is local politician Marco Andrea Doria, the head of the authority for the redevelopment of parks and historic villas. Because of his job, he is said to have received threats before. The authorities have not yet provided any information about the background to the current incident.

The explosive device in a spray can did not explode and was defused by experts, wrote the Italian news agency Ansa. Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi called the discovery of the bomb on Twitter “a very serious matter”. She expressed her solidarity with the potential victim of the attack.

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