ROME (voa) – U.S. security experts have joined Italian officials in inspecting a tunnel alongside the American embassy in Rome, but say they found nothing to link it to a suspected terrorist plot.
Italian authorities Sunday announced they had found a hole about 60 centimeters high, big enough for a person to crawl through. They had raised the possibility of connection between the hole and several detained Moroccans who authorities say may have been planning an attack on the embassy.
But in Washington, State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, downplayed the danger. He called reports seeking to link the hole to potential terrorist attacks very speculative and premature. He cautioned against drawing any conclusions until a full investigation is completed.
Italian police said raids on some of the suspects’ apartments last week turned up four kilograms of a cyanide-based compound, explosives, and maps of Rome highlighting the U.S. embassy. Officers also found construction maps of underground utilities in Rome.
Meanwhile, a bomb blast outside the Italian interior ministry damaged several cars and shattered windows. Authorities say is not clear if the blast is connected to the suspected U.S. embassy plot. But Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called the development worrisome.
