Italian police arrested seven individuals accused of belonging to an anarchist network responsible for sabotaging a high-speed rail line during the Winter Olympics. The attack, which used improvised explosive devices, caused significant damage and led to train delays.
The arrests highlight ongoing security concerns related to anarchist groups and their potential to disrupt critical infrastructure, particularly during major international events. The incidents underscore the challenges authorities face in preventing and prosecuting acts of domestic terrorism.
Italian police have arrested seven individuals accused of belonging to an anarchist militant network that allegedly carried out sabotage on a high-speed railway line during the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February. A judge ordered five suspects to be held in prison and two to be placed under house arrest, with charges including terrorist association and subversion of the democratic order.
Investigators stated that two of the arrested individuals are accused of participating in an attack on the Rome-Florence high-speed rail line on February 14. The sabotage, executed with improvised explosive devices, caused severe damage to infrastructure estimated at €455,000 ($528,000) and led to train delays exceeding an hour during the Winter Olympics, which ran from February 6 to 22.
The group claimed responsibility for this attack, as well as another on the Rome-Naples line, on a website created specifically for this purpose. Police noted that the group's statement explicitly referenced the timing of the Winter Olympics and anti-militarist aims targeting infrastructure. According to authorities, the network was based in Rome but had connections to cells in Bologna, Milan, and Naples. Rome prosecutors also issued search warrants against other individuals under investigation in various Italian cities. The group also claimed responsibility for a sabotage attack on the Transalpine Pipeline in March, according to a 40-page statement posted on the website.