Letter Bomb Explodes at Gov't Office in Rome, Italy

A letter bomb exploded at a tax collection office in Rome, Italy on Friday, injuring one.

The bomb, which was fitted inside a package, went off around mid-day as it was being opened in an office of Equitalia, a public entity that collects national taxes. According to reports, Director General Marco Cuccagna suffered injuries to his hand and eyes when opening the parcel. He was taken to the hospital, but the severity of his injuries are unknown.

The letter bomb was the second in Europe in as many days. On Thursday, a mail bomb was sent to Deutsche Bank AG Chief Executive Josef Ackermann, the man some consider the spokesperson for German capitalism. The bomb was intercepted before it reached Ackermann's office, and two more packages may have been sent to other banks.

The bomb was sent by an Italian anarchist group called the Federazione Anarchica Informale, or the Informal Anarchistic Federation.”

Powder in the envelope indicated that the bomb was homemade.

What we had here was a powder, which indicates that we're not dealing with commercial or military explosives, Alexander Kiessling told Reuters on Thursday. It could be something homemade, for instance made out of fireworks.

It isn't clear if the two bombings are related.

Mail bombs are the typical modus operandi for the FAI, which was responsible for a letter bomb sent to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt in 2003.