Italian embassies around the world are under threat of attacks by anarchists linked to the case of hunger striker Alfredo Cospito, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Cospito, 55, is an Italian anarchist who has been on hunger strike for more than 100 days to protest his imprisonment under the 41-bis maximum security lockdown.
“It is obvious that there is an international solidarity (among anarchists) and therefore an attack against Italy, against Italian institutions, is being carried out across the world,’’ Tajani said, adding that security was being raised at all Italian embassies and consulates as well as the foreign ministry.
In December, a Greek anarchist group claimed responsibility for burning down the Italian diplomat's house, calling it an act of solidarity with Cospito.
Tajani called the incident the most serious to date, but said there have been many other attacks, vandalism and demonstrations since November.
Italian embassies, consulates or cultural institutions have been targeted in Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Germany and Switzerland, he said.
On Monday, Cospito was transferred from a prison in Sardinia to a prison in Milan with better medical conditions, as demanded by the national ombudsman for prisoners.
The prisoner, who has lost more than 40 kilograms and is reportedly so weak that he can hardly walk or get warm, is eating only water, sugar and honey.
Prime Minister Georgia Meloni's right-wing government has ruled out easing the prisoner's regime, saying it cannot yield to threats or acts of terrorism.
The "41-bis" regime, usually applied to mob leaders, is designed to deny prisoners the opportunity to communicate with relatives at large.
Cospito was placed under this regime in May after he wrote articles from prison urging anarchists to continue the armed struggle.
He is serving time for the nonfatal shooting of a nuclear energy manager in 2012 and the double bombing of a police academy in 2016 that left no one injured.
Cospito was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but prosecutors demanded a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
