He described the fake bomb as a "a joke, in exceedingly bad taste, or the work of a madman".Rome (ANTARA News/AKI) - A fake bomb caused police to evacuate hundreds of tourists on Sunday from the Colosseum, Rome`s most famous monument.
The alarm was raised by a tourist who spotted the wires emerging from a metal can and thought they were part of a detonating device. Police evacuated the first-century amphitheater after receiving an anonymous threat by phone.
Authorities said as a precaution police destroyed the can, which contained the paint diluent turpentine and a nine volt battery connected to two electrical wires.
Police said the device was harmless and could not explode or burst into flames.
The incident caused Rome`s mayor, Gianni Alemanno to return to Rome from a mountain break in the central Abruzzi region.
He described the fake bomb as a "a joke, in exceedingly bad taste, or the work of a madman".
The package was placed in an area where there is no public access, an arcade of the world-famous monument, in a manner that could give the impression that it was a bomb.
The Colosseum, the largest amphitheater built by the ancient Romans, is one of Italy`s most famous sites and is visited by many thousands of tourists each year.
The monument features in the popular Ridley Scott movie Gladiator, starring Russel Crowe.(*)
Editor: Ella Syafputri
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
