Two houses firebombed in Corsica

Two homes in Oletta in northern Corsica were destroyed by fire yesterday.

The houses, which were around 100 metres apart went up in flames at around 8am yesterday morning.

Nearly 20 firefighters from Bastia and Calvi, supported by police and soldiers, managed to bring the incidents under control and prevent them spreading to nearby buildings. However the two buildings were seriously damaged in the blazes.

Nobody was injured in the attacks as both of the houses were empty at the time of the blazes.

Police are know trying to determine how the fires begun however it is likely that the attacks were the work of arsonists.

FLNC threat to criminal gang following murder of activist

In a press conference in the hills around Charles-Pierri a heavily armed group of around 30 FLNC fighters issues a statement in response to the June 29th murder of Corsica Libera Executive member Philippe Paoli. It is the first time since May 2004 that the clandestine organisation has called a major press conference.

A resident of Charles-Pierei, Paoli (41) was driving his morotbike in broad daylight near South Folelli, when he was gunned down by unknown individuals who pulled up alongside him on another bike. Paoli was a life long nationalist and in 2005 he was sentenced to five years in prison for terrorism related offences.

Four armed men sat behind a table in the woods of northern Corsica, one held in front of him a typed statement from the leadership of the FLNC which he read to the assembled press.

"As the national movement is poised to wrest significant political progress, the killing by a criminal gang of our activist Philippe Paoli darkens the political life of our country. Philippe was a long-time militant of our organization, he participated in the active and ongoing struggle with all of the Corsican people. He was an activist and an exemplary man.

"Those who carried out this act did not measure its scope or its consequences.

"Our organization will face this aggression while maintaining the political strategy that will enable our people to achieve significant progress.

"The chaos facing Corsica today is the result of the policy pursued by the French state. Our people must rely solely on their own forces to face this challenge.

"Only by resolving the national question can this harmful situation be brought to a close.

"It is with a project of national emancipation and giving our people all the privileges due to them that we will open new horizons.

"We will never abandon what we started May 5, 1976. The policy defined almost 40 years ago based on the fundamental rights of our people remains our guiding principle. Philip's death makes us sad. It is unjust and inexplicable. But it strengthens our resolve,

"On behalf of ther FLNC we express condolences to the wife, children and extended family of Phillipe".


Corsica's national newspaper Corse Matin noted:

Many had thought that the FLNC was in decline, that it was becoming increasingly irrelevant. Meanwhile, the images speak for themselves. It is neither in the press conference prepared hastily, nor in the economy of means.It is in the unit of men in hooded jackets and black uniforms, theatrical masks designed to hide their facial features. Armament exhibited to show that the "strike force" is still there. The message is clear. "

8 Injured in Corsica bomb attack

Eight people have been injured after suspected Corsican separatists detonated a bomb in an apartment block in the island's capital Ajaccio.

It is understood the bomb consisted of a gas canister packed with explosives which was placed against the hallway door of an apartment on the first floor. The explosion caused extensive damage to two apartments and resulted in lumps of metal and debris landing in the street below, damaging a number of vehicles. At least one of those injured in the blast was a child although none of those are said to be in a serious condition.

Police spokesperson Thomas Pison described the attack as "very worrying" and added that "two apartments, one of which was occupied at the time, had been completely blown away". If somebody had of been in the living room or on the balcony of the apartments they most likely would have been killed.

The motivations behind these attacks are still unknown although two bars in the same neighbourhood were destroyed in separatist bomb blasts earlier this year.

The attack has been condemned by Patrick Strzode, the French Prefect of Corsica.

Cars belonging to Prison Wardens torched in Corsica

Two cars have been seriously damaged after they were set alight in the worn of Vescavoto last night.

The cars belonged to prison officers who worked in Borgu jail. Graffiti on a nearby pillar read "Wardens first warning". Police said they believe the motivation for the attack was linked to a "control operation" which was carried out against a number of cells in the prison. Borgu prison consists of common criminals along with members of outlawed separatists groups.

An investigation into the incident has been entrusted to the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the gendarmerie.

Bomb defused at hotel in Corsica - Trucks firebombed

A bomb has been defused at a hotel and two dumper trucks have been firebombed in Corsica.

In the first incident an explosive device has been defused at the Belambra beachfront hotel in Propriano. The device took several hours defuse and a large police presence was deployed in the area. The device consisted of a gas canister attached to a small explosive charge and was left on the grounds of the hotel. It is believed it may have been abandoned. Several years ago the same hotel was seriously damaged in bomb attack

Meanwhile two council dumper trucks which were being used in construction work were torched on the outskirts of Casalabriva. The cabins of the truck were firebombed in the early hours of the morning. There has been repeated attacks on government owned vehicles since the beginning of the year.

Corsican Mayor killed in gun attack

The Mayor of Santa Andrea di Cotonu, Dominique Domarhci has been killed in a gun attack outside his home in northern Corsica.

Domarchi, who is a close friend of the President of the Corsican Territorial Community (PCTA) Paul Giacobbi was blasted at close range as he returned home from the Town Hall, where counting is underway following Saturday's local council elections. It is believed that Domarchi was ambushed by a number of gunmen in his driveway at around 1.20am on Monday morning. He was shot a number of times with various different weapons according to police.

Domanchi had been mayor of the small northern Corsican town, with a population of around 250 people, for twenty-seven years. He was a close adviser to Paul Giacobbi, the PCTA of Corsica.

Local police said they are still trying to establish a motive and claimed it was too early to speculate whether this was a political assassination. A post mortem will be carried out on his body on Tuesday.

Bomb attack targets house in Saint-Florent, Corsica

A bomb has exploded at a holiday home belonging to a French couple in the town of Saint-Florent in northern Corsicsa.

According to investigators, the explosive device was placed inside the building. It exploded in the early hours of the morning causing moderate damage. The villa was unoccupied at the time of the blast. There has been no claim of responsibility but Corsican separatist groups are suspected.

Corsica has seen a surge in bomb attacks since late November. Earlier this week a large blast seriously damaged a hotel in the nearby town of San Nicolao.

The security forces have said that this is the 20th bomb attack on the island since January 1st.

Hotel bombed in northern Corsica

 Corsican separatists have been blamed for a bomb attack in the municipality of San-Nicolao, Corsica.

The Moriani-Plage is one of the oldest hotels on the island. It had been abandoned for many years but reopened last summer. It was undergoing extensive renovations recently and was empty at the time of the explosion, which occurred in the early hours of the morning.

The blast caused significant damage but no injuries. It has also emerged that a second unexploded device was found in the hotel by the ordinance disposal team. Investigators have not released any information about what kind of explosive device was used. So far no group has claimed responsibility but the Corsican National Liberation Front (FLNC) is suspected.

The head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau based in Ghisonaccia said that there had been a "significant" increase in bomb attacks in recent weeks and accused separatists of attempting to start a war on the island.

This is the 18th bomb attack on the island this year.

Explosion rocks southern Isolella, Corsica

A huge explosion ripped through a holiday home on the southern Corsican peninsula of Isolella at around 9pm last night.

The firefighters who reached the scene of the blast quickly were not able to approach the building until a bomb disposal team could confirm that there were no more devices in the area. At the time of writing the fire is still raging. The owner of the property has been identified as a radiologist from Paris. He was not in Corsica at the time of the attack. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack although Corsican separatist groups are suspected.

This is the 17th bomb attack on the island since the beginning of the year.

Villa bombed in Corsica

The FLNC has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack against a villa in the village of Cauria in the Sartene region of Corsica.

The villa, which was still under construction, is owned by an individual from mainland France. The bomb consisted of three gas cylinders packed around a canister of home made explosive. Significant damage was caused to the property but there were no injuries.

The owner of the property, Marc Chanu, said he had been visiting the Sartene region for the past 34 years and had hoped to retire there. He said this attack had not put him off the idea.

The Anti-Terrorist division of the French police have taken over the investigation.

Carbomb explodes in Corsica - nine arrested

Nine suspected members of the National Liberation Front of Corsica have been arrested in raids in Porto-Vecchio this morning.

Over 50 armed police officers took part in the operation aimed at the militant organisation which has been blamed for an upsurge in bomb attacks across the island in recent months. Those arrested included a woman with  previous convictions for separatist violence. In 2006 she was charged with membership of the FLNC-UC splinter group. (It has since rejoined the mainstream FLNC). Also found in the raids were two handguns and a quantity of ammunition. It is also understood that a number of those arrested were picked up in mainland France as well as the Corsican capital of Ajaccio. A number of the individuals are wanted in connection with the shooting of a man at a nightclub in Porto-Vecchio in October of last year. The man was hit seven times after gunmen fired up to fifteen shots at him outside Club-80 in the centre of the town, the nightclub had previously been firebombed. The individual, named locally as Mickael Minichetti, had previously been shot twice by gunmen in 2005. The FLNC were suspected of firing two shotgun rounds through his car window. He survived after he managed to drive himself to hospital.


In a seperate incident, a carbomb exploded in the hamlet of Praoli in the Aregno Balagna region. There were no injuries in the incident. It appears the target of the attack was a housing maintenance company. A vehicle belonging to the company was completely destroyed and nearby buildings were damaged. An investigation is underway.


On Monday night a bank was bombed in L'lle Rousse. A small explosion badly damaged the building and caused serious damage to four adjoining offices as debris was found over one hundred metres away. The bomb was detonated around 1am and there were no injuries. The police are also investigation this incident.

Shots fired at police officers homes in Calvi, Corsica

Up to a dozen shots have been fired in the vicinity of eight apartments housing the families of police officers in Calvi.

While there was no damage and nobody was injured, police say that over a dozen 9mm bullet casings were found in the area. Residents reported hearing the shots early in the morning. Some said they did not realise it was gunshots, assuming that it was fireworks exploding at a nearby party.

Police are investigating the incident.

Holiday home attacked in Corsica

 A holiday home belonging to an Italian national has been bombed in the town of Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo in Corsica.

The bombs, which contained ANFO packed into two 20 litre barrells and wrapped with detonating cord did not detonate properley, causing only minor damage to the property. However, senior police officers said that had the device exploded as planned the result would have been much more serious. One of the devices was place on a window ledge and the other outside the front door. The first device partially exploded while the bomb disposal team were able to defuse the second.

Senior investigators have confirmed that the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC) has claimed responsibility for the attack. An investigation is underway.There has been an upsurge in bomb attacks across the island in recent weeks.

Electricity board car bombed in Corsica

A car belonging to the French Electricity Board (EDF) has been blown up in a bomb attack.

The attack occurred in the town Ghisonaccia in eastern Corsica at around 8.35pm. The blast caused significant damage to the car which was left in the parking lot of the department. There were no injuries.

Corsican separatists are suspected of carrying out the attack. An EDF office had been targeted earlier in the year. The attack comes following a wave of bombings across the island this week and just hours after a tourist resort was rocked by a number of explosions.

Reports of large bomb attack in Corsica

According to a number of local news sources, there have been a number of explosions in the town of Penta du Casinca, around 30km south of Bastia.

Europe-1 is reporting that up to fifteen armed and masked men entered a Holiday Site, popular with French tourists, and set off a bombs in a number of buildings. There are no reports of any injuries as the camp is mainly used during the summer. Bomb disposal officers and the police are currently at the scene.

In November, a number of Corsican Nationalist politicians had called for an inquiry into the site over what they claimed were "financial irregularities".

FLNC claim responsibility for triple bomb attack

The FLNC are believed to have been responsible for a triple bomb attack in Corsica yesterday.

In the first attack, two bombs exploded in Abaratello, seriously damaging two properties. The attacks took place at around 9.15pm. A bomb was placed in the ground floor of one of the buildings and on the first floor of the other, both were seriously damaged. The blast caused flying debris to land on the nearby beach. Nobody was injured as the houses were unoccupied at the time. It is beleived that they are both holiday homes owned by French "continentals".

A smaller bomb also exploded at a collective housing unit in Agosto beach, causing little damage. The claim for the bombing, written on a nearby wall read "Free the Political Prisoners - FLNC". The anti-terrorism unit of the police based in Ajaccio are carrying out an investigation into the attacks.

The attacks also appeared to be a direct response to the Prefect of Corsica who had boasted that the number of attacks was decreasing sharply in recent years and comes just days after a bomb  destroyed a holiday home which was owned by Swiss bankers in Fozzano. A large blast ripped through the side of the cottage collapsing the roof. In claiming the attack, the words "Speculators Out - FLNC" were written on a nearby wall.

These four attacks put the number of bomb attacks on the island this year at over 80, the highest in 3 years.

CIPF office targeted again in Bastia, Corsica

The offices of the Federation of Corsican Parents (CIPF) were again the target of an incendiary attack last night.

In a carbon-copy of the previous attack, an incendiary device, believed to be a petrol-bomb, was thrown at the front door of the office. The words "FLNC" and "Lingua Corse" were spraypainted on the walls.

The CIPF opposes the compulsory teaching of the Corsican language in schools on the island. The CIPF condemned the attack and claimed it was part of a campaign of intimidation against the organisation.

Although they have not commented on this particular incident, hardline Corsican nationalist party, Corsica Libera described the previous attack as unfortunate but added that the teaching of the Corsican language was supported by the majority of the people on the island and that the CIPF has repeatedley "shown contempt and disregard" towards Corsica's elected representatives.

Holiday home bombed in Solaro, Corsica

 

A bomb has exploded at a secondary home in Solaro, Corsica.

A number of residents heard the explosion late last night but where unable to locate it's source. The next morning scorch marks and large cracks were found on a house belonging to David Ajzenfisz. It appears a homemade explosive device was tossed into the crawl space beneath the house. According to the emergency services, the blast greatly damaged the buildings foundations and it may need to be levelled. On a house on the opposite side of the street FLNC graffiti was written.

Mr. Ajzenfisz is originally from mainland France and was there when the attack took place. Corsican militant groups frequently target secondary homes belonging to French "contintentals" as a way of discouraging French citizens from moving to the island and diluting it's Corsican culture.

The French anti-terrorist unit are investigating the incident.

CIPF centre targeted in petrol bomb attack

An office belonging to the Corsican Federation of Parents Councils (CIPF) was targeted in an incendiary attack in the northern town of Bastia last night.

It is believed that Corsican separatists, believed to be the mainstream FLNC, were responsible. The CIPF had recently opposed the teaching of the Corsican language in local schools and it is believed that this may have been the motivation behind the attack. Nearby graffiti read "Speak Corsican" and "FLNC".

Speaking about the attack, a spokesperson for the Corsican Nationalist party, Corsica Libera, said that it was "unfortunate" but added that the "elected representatives of the Corsican people have unanimously voted for a plan to safeguard the Corsican language". The spokesman also said that the "disregard and contempt which the CIPF has for the elected representatives of the Corsican people is pathetic".

Meanwhile, speaking after the incident, Bernard Platteau of the CIPF said that he was "shocked and dismayed by the attack".  He added that it was "no coincidence that it happened after an online statement by the CIPF in relation to the Corsican language was published" adding that the statement "did not go against the language" he said that the CIPF only wants a quality education system for students.

French Army recruitment centre bombed in Corsica

A recruitment centre for the French Armed Forces was bombed last night.

The blast occurred at around 2am in the prefecture of Haute-Corse. It appears those responsible managed to cut a hole in the metal shutters before rolling a gas cylinder packed with explosives into the building. The ground floor was entirely destroyed by the blast. Five nearby cars and a motorbike were also damaged. There were no injuries.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack although Corsican seperatist groups, such as the FLNC or Armatu Corse are suspected. The offices have been the target of attacks before.