Mafia suspected as bomb attack at Italian school kills teenage girl and wounds seven

The blast went off around 7:45 am (0545 GMT) on Saturday as students were arriving at the Francesca Morvillo Falcone vocational school. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the school is named after the wife of a famous anti-Mafia judge, Giovanni Falcone, who was blown up by the mob almost exactly 20 years ago. The prosecutor, his wife and their three bodyguards were killed on May 23 1992, when the Sicilian Mafia planted half a tonne of explosives on the road between Palermo's airport and the city centre. As one of the most audacious challenges by the Sicilian mob to the power of the Italian state, it ultimately backfired, prompting a massive crackdown against their activities that eventually cost them their dominance against the rival Neapolitan and Calabrian gangs. Saturday morning's bombing took place as students were entering the school in the Adriatic port. Two students are reported to be in a critical condition. Unconfirmed reports said a second schoolgirl also later died.

You Might Also Like :