Italy sees no Russian hand in Colleferro munitions plant blast

Italy's government has found no evidence linking Russia to last week's explosion at a munitions factory near Rome, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Monday.

The blast occurred on Thursday at the KNDS Ammo Italy plant in Colleferro, southeast of the capital, after firefighters had been called to the site to deal with a fire. No injuries were reported.

While the government has not commented on reports that the factory produces ammunition for Ukraine, Crosetto moved to quell speculation of sabotage. "There is no indication to anyone that this could be anything other than an internal problem," he told Italian news agency Adnkronos.

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that prosecutors are examining possible links to similar incidents at ammunition facilities in Bulgaria. Investigators declined to comment when contacted.

Opposition leader Carlo Calenda of the Azione party has called on the government to brief parliament, saying authorities should clarify what happened as soon as possible. "We cannot remain in uncertainty over a possible Russian hybrid attack," he wrote on social media.

KNDS, the Franco-German defence group that owns the plant, said the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation. According to the company's website, the Colleferro facility produces medium- and large-calibre ammunition for land and naval defence systems, as well as solid propellants for aerospace launch vehicles.

The Russian embassy in Italy has not commented on the incident.