VENICE – A bomb rocked the Venice courthouse on Thursday hours before a visit to the lagoon city by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, leading some politicians to express fears of fresh violence and terrorism. No one was seriously injured in the 3:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) blast but the building was extensively damaged. Berlusconi who visited Venice with the minister for infrastructure and transport, Pietro Lunardi, on Thursday afternoon, called for calm. He also revealed that both he and Interior Minister Claudio Scajola, as well as some members of the centre-left opposition, had received threatening letters and bullets in the post.

The explosion rocked the area of the courthouse in the Campo della Corveria, near the famous Rialto bridge on the Grand Canal. Like many structures in Venice, the building that was damaged was among the city‘s architectural delights. It is part of a complex designed by Jacopo Tatti, known as Sansovino, and was built in the 16th century. The complex was ordered built by the Doges of Venice to regulate commerce between the Venetian Republic and other countries.

Italy has been in a tense state since rioting marred last month‘s Group of Eight summit in Genoa. One anti-globalisation demonstrator was killed and many people were injured in three days of violent protests. While there was no confirmed link between the bomb blast and Berlusconi‘s visit, Mayor Paolo Costa said: „My feeling is that this is an attack that wants to send a signal to someone.“

The middle-of-the-night explosion was originally thought to be caused by a gas leak in the courthouse‘s boiler room. After meeting police officials investigating the incident, Costa told Reuters an explosive device had triggered the blast. Shop windows as far as 200 metres away were blown out by the explosion, which sent many tourists running out of their hotels and into the streets.

Two policemen standing guard in the front of the building were slightly injured.

Reuters