Libyan detonates bomb at army barracks in Italy, injuring himself and guard

October 13, 2009|Associated Press

MILAN - A Libyan man set off a small bomb while trying to enter an army barracks in Milan yesterday, seriously injuring himself and slightly wounding the guard who stopped him, Italian law enforcement officials said.

The man attempted to enter the barracks on foot around 7:45 a.m., taking advantage of the main gate opening to allow an authorized car through, said Colonel Giuseppe Affini, a chief spokesman for the army in the Lombardy region that includes Milan.

“He was immediately blocked by the guard, who yelled ‘halt.’ He exploded the briefcase that he was holding,’’ Affini said.

Authorities said the man appeared to be acting alone, and Affini denied initial media reports that the man had shouted “Out of Afghanistan!’’

He said the man had shouted something in Arabic, but it was not clear what.

Some of the 2,800 troops that Italy has deployed in Afghanistan are based in the army barracks that was targeted, Affini said.

“It is a serious incident from all points of view, but it should not be exaggerated,’’ Milan prosecutor Armando Spataro told a news conference.

The explosives caused little damage to the structure, “which demonstrates that there was not a significant quantity of explosives,’’ Spataro said.

The 20-year-old guard was lightly hurt and treated at the scene, Affini said.

It was not clear whether the suspect made the explosive device, Spataro said.