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WORLD NEWS Saturday 9 September 2017
2 US students accuse Italian police of rape in Florence

By FRANCES D’EMILIO surances and security.”
Associated Press Italian media say three pa-
ROME (AP) — Florence trol cars went to a night-
prosecutors on Friday were club to investigate a fight.
investigating allegations by Two cars left after calm was
two U.S. students that they restored, but the third re-
were raped by Carabinieri mained. The women, who
policemen who escorted reportedly spent the eve-
them home in a patrol car ning in the nightclub, told
from a nightclub, allega- authorities that the officers
tions the U.S. State Depart- drove them to their apart-
ment said it was taking very ment building and raped
seriously. them.
Italian authorities said the News reports described wit-
21-year-old students were nesses as confirming that
questioned by prosecutors they saw the women enter
for several hours Thursday the patrol car.
about their allegations. The The U.S. consul general in
women accused the of- Florence met for about an
ficers of raping them early hour with Florence’s state
Thursday morning in their police chief Friday morning
apartment building. about the case, the Italian
Italy has two main police news agency ANSA said.
forces that patrol its streets A view of the exterior of a nightclub where, according to reports, early Thursday, Sept. 7, a The U.S. Embassy in Rome
carabinieri patrol car, which was with two other patrol cars called to investigate a fight outside
— the paramilitary Cara- the disco, picked up two students from the United States and drove them to their apartment and refused to comment “due
binieri, which are under the allegedly raped them inside, in Florence, Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. to the sensitive nature of
defense ministry, and the (Maurizio degl’Innocenti/ANSA via AP) this case and to protect the
state police, who report to rape charges are lodged legations,” Minister Roberta it’s of unprecedented grav- privacy of those involved.”
the interior ministry. against them. Pinotti said Friday evening ity if it is committed by Car- The women reportedly ar-
Italy’s defense minister said “Investigation is still un- at a forum about women’s abinieri in uniform, because rived in Florence several
the two policemen will be derway, but there is some issues in Milan. “Rape is al- citizens turns to them and months ago to study Italian
immediately suspended if basis in respect to the al- ways something grave. But to their uniform to have as- at a language institute.q

Suspects in France’s explosives
lab investigation linked to Syria

By PHILIPPE SOTTO one of the three suspects
LORI HINNANT detained in the case. A
Associated Press police official confirmed
PARIS (AP) — French inves- the new discovery that was
tigators believe that three made in Thiais, a suburban
suspects linked to an ex- city close to Villejuif.
plosives lab found in an The two officials with knowl-
apartment in a Paris suburb edge of the probe spoke
had talked about wanting on condition of anonymity
to target a bank and had because of the ongoing in-
made phone calls to un- vestigation.
identified contacts in Syria, Interior Minister Gerard Col-
authorities said this week. lomb said on Francetvinfo
Two men were detained that the suspects appar-
Wednesday and the third ently wanted to set off ex-
man on Thursday. plosives in a bank to steal
The Paris prosecutor’s of- money and had spoken by
fice said the men are be- phone with people in Syria.
tween 36 and 47 years old The investigation started
but provided no further in- after a tip provided by a
formation. repairman who was doing
After finding the explosive a job in the Villejuif building
TATP in the apartment in and informed authorities
the town of Villejuif, inves- after noticing suspicious
tigators discovered more products in an apartment,
explosive components in a Collomb has said.
nearby cache. TATP, a per- A counterterrorism investi-
oxide-based explosive, has gation was opened under
been employed by Islamic potential charges of “crimi-
extremists. nal terrorist association”
A judicial official said Thurs- and production, possession
day that more products and transportation of ex-
that can be used to make plosive substances “in rela-
explosives were found in a tion with a terrorist action
lock-up garage rented by by an organized gang.”q