Successive bomb attacks in Rome's eastern neighborhoods in recent months have caused fear among residents.
One of the latest attacks was carried out against the bar called Elegant Monkey, located in the Castelverde neighborhood on the outskirts of the city.
The explosion, which occurred at dawn, destroyed the front of the bar and sparked a fire. While the interior of the business became unusable, the outside seating area was also destroyed by the explosion.
Shards of glass scattered on the pavement, and chairs and parasols melted.
According to The Telegraph, on Thursday, business owners tried to clear the debris in the area surrounded by police tape.
After the explosion, one of the local residents described the impact of the attack with the words, "What happened was terrible."
The number of bomb attacks in the eastern parts of Rome, which started in May, has increased rapidly in recent weeks. No one has been detained yet in the investigations into approximately 30 attacks targeting bars, betting businesses, car rental companies and residences. The police were not able to confiscate any explosives.
The areas where the attacks were concentrated have a very different appearance from the tourist centers of Rome. Old apartment buildings, neglected roads and infrastructure problems attract attention in neighborhoods located far from tourist spots such as the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.
Antonio, a 53-year-old plumber from Castelverde, described the situation in the area as "a complete mess".
"The situation is really critical. We don't know who is behind this. Is it some kind of mafia? I don't know," Antonio said.
50-year-old Andrea Solitario, who works as a businessman in the region, stated that the attacks could be related to an attempt to collect extortion and said that they had not encountered similar incidents before.
POLICE INDICATE A SHOWDOWN BETWEEN MAFIA GROUPS
In addition to large mafia structures such as Sicily-based Cosa Nostra, Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta and Naples-based Camorra, smaller criminal organizations also operate in Italy.
Police believe the attacks in Rome may be linked to a showdown between rival crime families fighting for control of the drug trade.
It is stated that the drug trade in the eastern parts of the city has been under the control of the Senese criminal organization for many years. However, the weakening of the authority of the organization after the leader of the organization, Michele Senese, was in prison, which may have led rival groups to increase their activities in the region.
Senese, 68, of Naples origin and ties to the Camorra mafia, was sentenced to prison for murder in 2013.
It is stated that Senese, known as "O Pazzo" (The Mad) in the underworld, was influential in the drug trade in the east of Rome for many years.
NEW MURDER ACCUSED AGAINST MAFIA LEADER
Senese also came forward with a new murder charge in September.
The prosecutor's office accused Senese of ordering the murder of drug dealer Fabrizio Piscitelli, nicknamed "Diabolik".
Piscitelli was shot in the back of the head while sitting on a park bench in Rome in 2019.
It was claimed that the murder was committed because Piscitelli was trying to gain more and more power and profit while managing the drug trade in the Tuscolano region east of Rome.
Police assess that the Senese family and their allies are facing pressure from rival groups seeking to control the proceeds of the drug trade.
Gianfranco Minissale, Head of the Investigations Unit of the Rome Police Department, associated the attacks with the changing balance of power between criminal organizations.
Minissale, 62, said: "The internal balance of the Senese organization is unstable. Sometimes there are calm periods, and sometimes actors in the wider criminal world disrupt this balance. We are currently in one of the second periods."
Minissale, who previously worked in investigations against the 'Ndrangheta mafia in Calabria and the Sicilian town of Corleone, stated that the teams investigating the attacks faced serious difficulties.
According to Minissale, one of the biggest obstacles to the investigation is the code of silence, known in mafia culture as "omertà".
The official said, "No one is cooperating with us. Even those living in the houses that were the target of the attacks do not speak."
WHY ARE CAR RENTAL COMPANIES TARGETED?
The fact that car rental companies were among the targets of bomb attacks also attracted the attention of the police.
Authorities conducting the investigation evaluate that drug dealers receive orders via WhatsApp and similar messaging applications and then make deliveries with rented vehicles.
Minissale said the use of rental vehicles makes it difficult to identify criminals.
Police believe rival criminal organizations may be targeting car rental businesses that they believe are linked to each other.
A car rental business called Gold Car in the Centocelle region was attacked with a bomb on the night of October 8. It was stated that the business belonged to a family allegedly connected to the Senese organization.
It was reported that another car rental company that was bombed belonged to two brothers who were allegedly linked to Piscitelli, who was killed in 2019.
According to the authorities, the fact that the attacks were carried out at night and that no injuries have been reported so far strengthens the possibility that the explosions were intended to intimidate rival groups rather than kill directly.
NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS LIVE IN FEAR
The Tor Bella Monaca neighborhood in the east of Rome was also the target of one of the latest bomb attacks.
An explosive device detonated at the entrance of a municipal housing block located on Via Giacomo Galopini Street, close to a crowded open-air market.
In the explosion, the entrance section of the building, made of glass and metal, collapsed, windows were broken and the intercom system became unusable.
Laura Taglia, 35, who bought an apartment in the area two years ago, said she did not go out in the evening due to increased security concerns.
"There is a lot of fear now. We already have a lot of problems here. I don't go out at night. You have to stay at home after 7 p.m. It's dangerous out there," Taglia said.
32-year-old Andrea Rotaro stated that the attacks especially affected children and said, "People were really shaken. I'm worried about my ten-year-old son. He was very scared of the explosion."
The Telegraph reporters also reported that they observed some young people openly trading drugs on the streets in Tor Bella Monaca.
BOMB ATTACKS ARE ON THE PARLIAMENT AGENDA
The successive attacks brought about political debates in Italy.
The opposition Five Star Movement asked Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi in parliament to make an urgent statement regarding the attacks.
Government official Nicola Franco called for Tor Bella Monaca and similar neighborhoods to be declared special security zones with increased police presence.
Sending a letter to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Franco said, "We are facing extremely serious attacks that create an atmosphere of fear among people."
Another senior official, Massimiliano Umberti, also requested the government to prepare an extraordinary security plan for the neighborhoods in the east of Rome.
Umberti said, "We need concrete steps and more resources. We want controls to be tightened in neighborhoods and to invest in the fight against crime."
Stating that it is unacceptable for people to be forced to live with the fear of new explosions near their homes, Umberti said, "Enough is enough. Both the bombs and the fear must end. Action must be taken."
"PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF A NEW ATTACK"
Claudio Cutri, 53, who runs a photo printing shop near the Elegant Monkey bar, which was the target of the last attack, said that the explosion stunned the neighborhood's residents.
"The bomb attack was a big surprise. Nothing like this has happened here before," Cutri said.
Stating that he thought the attack was related to drug trafficking, Cutri said that the people of the region were trying to stay away from the fight between criminal organizations.
Cutri said, "We are just trying to do our job and not get involved in these events. But people here are afraid. They are worried that the same thing will happen again."
