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Bomb Hits Venice Courthouse
A bomb blast rocked a courthouse near the scenic Rialto bridge in the heart of this lagoon city Thursday, further heightening tensions throughout Italy after the violence-marred Group of Eight summit in Genoa.
The explosion, which injured a police officer on routine patrol and damaged the courthouse wall and nearby stores, occurred 12 hours before a scheduled visit to Venice by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
In the days before last month's G-8 summit of world leaders, bombs went off in Milan, Bologna and Treviso, injuring one person. There have been no arrests in those bombings, which have been claimed by self-styled revolutionary groups.
"There is an escalation of violence which worries us," Berlusconi told reporters before leaving for Venice, where he signed agreements with local authorities for construction projects in the area.
In the afternoon, the prime minister's plane landed at the lagoon city's Marco Polo airport amid heightened security. Hundreds of policemen were deployed in the airport and in streets outside.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for Thursday's blast.
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