Fear in the night in Ottana .
A high explosive bomb exploded around one o'clock in front of the City Hall .
The bomb was placed at the entrance door of the building.
There was also serious damage to the facade and fixtures, as well as to the offices on the first floor. But, from the checks, there are no structural problems such as to declare the building unusable.
The police and the Carabinieri bomb squad were on site, and in the morning the prefect Dionisi also arrived. The area has been cordoned off.
Mayor Franco Saba said he was "disappointed". «If anyone has to complain – he added – do so publicly. We will continue to work as we have done up to now."
THE MAYOR'S WORDS (video by Graziano Canu):
From an initial inspection by the carabinieri of the Ottana Company and the Nuoro Investigation Unit, the bomb had been packed with 3-4 kilos of explosives which damaged the external part of the Municipality and the ground floor, shattering windows, doors and furnishings.
The City Hall's surveillance system was in operation and investigators have already acquired footage for the investigation. The mayor of the town Franco Saba is receiving the solidarity of representatives of the institutions, colleagues and friends.
«A vile attack on the entire community» are the words of Alessandra Todde , governor in pectore of Sardinia. «Violence - he explains - cannot and must not find space in our society and in our communities. I express closeness and solidarity to the mayor and all the citizens of Ottana."
From Nuoro, the mayor Andrea Soddu expressed his «firmest condemnation for this vile gesture and full solidarity with the mayor and the entire community of Ottana. In this moment of difficulty, we must remain united and determined in countering any form of violence and in affirming the values of democracy and civil coexistence."
«A bomb on the door of the town hall that explodes in the night is a challenge to democracy and must be rejected in every way. These are acts that show how difficult it is to be a local administrator if you are not protected and if you do not intervene to prevent them. There are areas in which there is a risk of having a democratic desert – writes MP Silvio Lai (Pd) in a note – It would be good to
Government to keep the many promises on the security front that remained only in the electoral commitments."
In the morning , the Prefect of Nuoro Giancarlo Dionisi also arrived in Ottana and convened the Committee for public order and safety for Monday morning at 10.30: «What happened is a very serious matter and I expressed my utmost closeness to the mayor of the country. On Monday we will take stock of the situation in the public safety committee, but I can say that this is not a hot area: the last bomb attack against an administrator dates back to 2010, so it was a bolt from the blue. Naturally we will do our in-depth investigations both to reach a solution to the case as soon as possible and to understand what is behind this attack in the town."
IMAGES OF THE DAMAGE (video by Gianfranco Locci):
(Unioneonline)