Pat Dollard

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Rome (AP) – Italian authorities are investigating the explosion of two parcel bombs that detonated at the Swiss and Chilean embassies, injuring two people.

Francesco Tagliente, Rome’s police chief, said a third suspicious package found at the Ukrainian embassy was a false alarm. Tagliente addressed reporters as he arrived Thursday at the Chilean embassy, where witnesses said an explosion occurred shortly after 3 p.m., injuring one person.

Three hours earlier, a package bomb detonated inside an office in the Swiss Embassy, wounding a staffer who opened the parcel. The staffer — who was not immediately identified — suffered serious hand injuries, but his injuries were not life-threatening, Swiss ambassador Bernardino Regazzoni said.

A source close to the investigation told Fox News that authorities in Rome believe the bombing may be related to anarchists rather than terrorism.

A source close to the investigation told Fox News that authorities in Rome believe the bombing may be related to anarchists rather than terrorism. No one immediately claimed responsibility.

“It’s a wave of terrorism against embassies, something much more worrisome than a single attack,” Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said.

Alemanno said authorities were following an “international path” in their probe, distinguishing the attack from a fake bomb found earlier this week on a subway in Rome.

On Tuesday, there was a bomb scare in the Rome subway after authorities discovered a suspicious package with wires and powder under a subway seat. The device ended up being a fake, with police determining there was no trigger mechanism and its powder was inert, cement-like material.

There have been growing concerns in Europe about holiday season attacks following a bombing in Sweden and security services’ fears of an assault on a European city modeled on the deadly shooting spree in Mumbai, India.

Last month, suspected Greek radical anarchists sent fourteen mail bombs to foreign embassies in Athens — including the Swiss — as well as to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi. Nobody was hurt and only two devices exploded, causing no injuries. A group called Conspiracy Nuclei of Fire claimed responsibility.