Hamas Supporters Behind Consulate Attack

The U.S. Consulate General building in Florence

Videos delivered to regional news outlets in Tuscany carry the message that Hamas sympathizers were behind the launch of two Molotov cocktails which landed near the U.S. Consulate General building on Lungarno Vespucci at 4 am on February 1.

The subsequent explosion took place on a side street close to the Consulate, and caused no damage.  Police examined surveillance camera footage that shows a hooded man leaving the scene at that hour.

Responsibility for the act was claimed by authors of the video, entitled “The Whole World is with Hamas,” which contains a message in Arabic to Italy and other EU member states warning of reprisals if these countries, in addition to the U.S., continue to maintain their support of Israel in the current war in Gaza.

The district attorney office is investigating the incident, defined as “serious” in a statement released to the press.