Italian newspaper warned of threat to assassinate Berlusconi | Florida Statesman

Italian newspaper warned of threat to assassinate Berlusconi

Florida Statesman (IANS) Saturday 12th January, 2008

An Italian newspaper said Friday it had received a letter containing two blank bullets and threats against former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The letter warns Berlusconi faces a fate similar to slain Pakistani political leader Benazir Bhutto.

The letter - the bullets attached to it with adhesive tape - was posted to the Milanese daily Il Giornale, owned by Berlusconi's brother, Paolo, who also received 'threats of an Islamic character' in the letter, the newspaper said.

The bullets, the letter and a yellow envelope in which it had been sent were handed over to anti-terrorism police, Il Giornale said.

The apparently unsigned letter said it was a 'preliminary' warning to the 'Berlusconi brothers ... responsible for the rubbish written in the newspaper and their anti-Islamic policies.'

'On the first possible occasion we will act as was done with Bhutto,' the letter said referring to the Pakistani opposition politician whose assassination last month has been blamed on Al Qaeda.

The letter written in Italian ended with the words 'Allah is great'.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi sent a message of 'solidarity' to Berlusconi on behalf of the centre-left government, news reports said.

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