Reports: 2 police officers shot outside Italian premier’s office as gov’t sworn in elsewhere

ROME – Reports say two paramilitary police officers were shot and wounded outside the Italian premier’s office as the new leader was sworn in about a kilometre (half-mile) away.

An AP television producer reported seeing one officer lying on the pavement, with blood pouring out of his neck. The Italian news agency ANSA said the assailant, described in reports as a man dressed in a suit and tie, had been detained by police.

The shooting came as Enrico Letta and his Cabinet took their oaths Sunday in the Quirinal presidential office, after he nailed down a coalition agreement between his centre-left forces and the conservative bloc of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi.

It was unclear if there was any connection between the events, but political tensions have been running high in Italy.