Italy: Multiple Attempted IID Attacks on TV and Telephone Towers
TRIPwire, 22 March 2023
TRIPwire, 22 March 2023
TRIPwire, 22 March 2023
On 22 March 2023, at approximately 0440 hours local time, local police responded after unidentified suspects used explosives to attack a jewelry store in Cologne, before fleeing the scene. According to authorities, the explosions destroyed the store windows and caused significant damage to the houses across the street and parked vehicles. No further details concerning the explosives have been released, and it is unclear if any jewelry was stolen. The investigation is ongoing.
TRIPwire, 21 March 2023
On 20 March 2023, a victim-operated IED (VOIED) concealed inside a USB drive functioned at a TV station in Guayaquil, injuring a journalist when he inserted the drive into a computer. According to local police, the USB drive may have been loaded with RDX, a military-type explosive. Four additional VOIEDs mailed in envelopes to journalists working in TV and radio stations in Guayaquil and Quito were intercepted. No further device details have been released. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the investigation is ongoing.
TRIPwire, 21 March 2023
On 19 March 2023, at approximately 1315 hours local time, a suspect threw five improvised incendiary devices (IIDs), described as Molotov cocktails, toward the entrance of the Saint-Ambroix gendarmerie barracks. According to media reporting, the IIDs were lit but did not fully ignite. The suspect also had up to 15 additional IIDs. No further device details were released, and no injuries were reported. The 33-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a person holding public authority.
TRIPwire, 20 March 2023
On 19 March 2023, at approximately 0100 hours local time, local police and emergency services responded after an explosive device was used to target a residence in Mechelen. No further device details have been released. The explosion caused considerable damage to the residence, but no injuries were reported. The Department for the Removal and Destruction of Explosive Devices (SEDEE) responded to the scene to assist. The incident remains under investigation.
TRIPwire, 20 March 2023
On 20 March 2023, local police responded after unidentified suspects used “solid explosives” to attack two ATMs inside a shopping mall in Oststeinbek in Stormarn district and fled the scene with an unknown amount of money. No further details about the explosives have been released. The explosion destroyed the two ATMs and damaged several shops in the mall, but no injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation.
TRIPwire, 20 March 2023
On 20 March 2023, at approximately 0300 hours local time, local police and firefighters responded after an explosive device functioned in an apartment complex in Maarsenhof in Amsterdam, causing a fire. The Explosives Reconnaissance Team and forensic specialists responded to assist and discovered remnants of an explosive device in the hallway, but no further device details have been released. No injuries were reported, and the incident remains under investigation.