If one remembers the way the Italian security services caused "terrorist bombings" in the 1970s, and used others to justify illegal and abusive activities and the removal of civil rights from many Italians s (for which one might as easily read British security and the IRA) I am not sure what there is yet to chuckle about. This is quite likelya continuation of that old tactic intended to tie the Northern League (a weak link in the Berlusconi coalition) tighter in, and to justify another security panic of the kind which led to the atrocities in Genoa ...

Always be suspicious when nobody claims responsibility, history records that fascist elements or State forces are at work in these senarios.

It could well be an excuse for a crackdown before the NATO meeting in Naples. Watch out for social centres being raided under the pretext of looking for weapons etc.

I agree with the observations above. The lessions of the Strategy of Tension need to be learned. It started with the bombing of the Piazza Fontana in 1969, and included the assassination of Aldo Moro and various other bombings and assassinations ostensibly carried out by extra-parliamentary groups of the Left and Right. Far-right groups. The latter, when not completely under the control of the state, generally acted as ‘useful idiots’ in the Strategy of Tension, giving the puppet masters within Italian and other manipulating intelligence services a cover of ‘plausible deniability’ – see the ‘Gladio Network’ revelations of a few years ago. The Red Brigades were undoubtedly heavily minipulated by Italian and other intelligence services.

I think that this latest bombing stinks of the 'intelligence services'. The choice of target is interesting. The Northern League occupies an ambigous position within the center-Right government, being in favour of the breakup of Italy, in theory - something the other rightist parties are definitely not in favour of. Given their minor role in the center-right government, it is a very strange choice of targets for genuine radical-Leftists . Surely a Burlosconi linked target would have been more appropriate? Unless he was pulling the strings himself? Then it makes perfect sense!

Anyone interested in the Strategy of Tension should check out Philip Willan’s book ‘Puppet Masters’ (London, 1991), Gianfranco Sanguinetti’s ‘On Terrorism and the State’ (London, 1982), Stuart Christie’s small book ‘Stefano Delle Chiaie: Portrait of a Black Terrorist’ (London, 1984), and this link:-

 http://www.poptel.org.uk/cgi-bin/dbs2/statewatch?query=gladio&mode=records&row_id=7255

Whilst we're on the subject, does anyone knows anything about the 1980 bombing of the Bologna Railway station - I have been scouring the internet for information on it having seen it refered to a number of times in relation to Italian Fascism on these posts. It had something to do with the strategy of tension ?

The bombing of Bolonga railway station was in many ways the culmination of the Strategy of Tension. Ostensibly carried out by fascists, it as in fact master-minded by the Italian secret services and ulitmately the Masonic organisation P2 (which Burlesconi was/is a member of) - utilising the so-called Gladio Networks. On this whole affair, see the following:-

Philip Willan’s book ‘Puppet Masters’ (London, 1991), Gianfranco Sanguinetti’s ‘On Terrorism and the State’ (London, 1982), Stuart Christie’s small book ‘Stefano Delle Chiaie: Portrait of a Black Terrorist’ (London, 1984), and this link:-

 http://www.poptel.org.uk/cgi-bin/dbs2/statewatch?query=gladio&mode=records&row_id=7255

The bombing of Bolonga railway station was in many ways the culmination of the Strategy of Tension. Ostensibly carried out by fascists, it as in fact master-minded by the Italian secret services and ulitmately the Masonic organisation P2 (which Burlesconi was/is a member of) - utilising the so-called Gladio Networks. On this whole affair, see the following:-

Philip Willan’s book ‘Puppet Masters’ (London, 1991), Gianfranco Sanguinetti’s ‘On Terrorism and the State’ (London, 1982), Stuart Christie’s small book ‘Stefano Delle Chiaie: Portrait of a Black Terrorist’ (London, 1984), and this link:-

 http://www.poptel.org.uk/cgi-bin/dbs2/statewatch?query=gladio&mode=records&row_id=7255

Does anyone else knows of any other information relating to these matters on-line?

Some of sanguinetti's text can be seen at:

 http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rkeehan/postsi/postsi.html

Also the 1979 text by Guy Debord is relevent