Red brigades blamed for parcel bombs

A parcel bomb exploded at an Italian Labour ministry building in Rome today, causing no injuries, while similar packages rigged to blow up were found in another Rome office and in a Sardinia police station.

Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said the radical left wing Red Brigades terrorist group could be behind the attacks due to opposition to government attempts to reform the job market.

A faction of the Red Brigades is suspected of killings two Labour Ministry consultants since 1999. Both attacks were linked to government attempts to reform job laws.

Political tension has been raised in recent weeks as the government pushes ahead with plans to reform the pension system. Italy’s unions have called a general strike for to oppose the pension reforms.

Italy has a history of domestic attacks by political radicals, particularly in the 1970s and ’80s when far-left and far-right terror groups carried out numerous attacks.