Fighting Mafia is dangerous. Attending a school named after Mafia victim can be hazardous too.
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One girl died and another one is in critical conditions after a bomb exploded outside their school, ten minutes before the start of lessons. Four others have received burns of various degree.
The last political elections were a massacre for traditional parties, signalling a lack of confidence in institutions. What usually happens in these cases is a Mafia attack. It happened in 1993 right before the "Berlusconi era", it has happened again.
The bomb was made up of three gas tanks linked to a detonator and a timer, an "amateurish" device for Mafia standards, which is why there are talks of a lone bomber, Breivik-style. Even if, the choice of place and date is significant: the target is a school named after Francesca Morvillo Falcone. She was the wife of magistrate Giovanni Falcone and died almost exactly 20 years ago, along with her husband and their three surveillance officers, when 500 kg of TNT exploded as their cars were travelling on the highway. Mafia actions had been on the rise in the region of the current attack: the major of the victims' town of residence had had his car bombed a couple weeks ago.
And because miseries never come alone, there's been an earthquake in Bologna tonight. Call me lucky: had it happened yesterday, I'd have been in the thick of it.