[1] The attack took place in Brindisi, Apulia, on the morning of Saturday, 19 May 2012, when at 7:45 a.m. local time three gas cylinder bombs detonated inside a rubbish bin close to the entrance gate in front of the Morvillo Falcone high school as students were arriving and milling outside.

The cylinders, which were tied together, exploded beside 16-year-old fashion student Melissa Bassi, who took the full force of the powerful blast wave and suffered "horrific injuries", which included burns on 90 percent of her body and the loss of an arm.

The injured students lay on the ground with their hair and clothing burnt, the school wall near the blast's epicentre showed extensive scorching, and the street was littered with books, papers and knapsacks.

Another witness who worked in the building adjacent to the school stated succinctly his impressions of the bombing: "I was opening the window and the blast wave hit me.

In all major Italian cities thousands of people held emotional demonstrations against the bombing and rising social tensions brought about by the economic crisis.

[4] Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, who was out of the country at the time attending a G8 summit held in Camp David, condemned the attack as "cowardly" and "without precedent".

A few weeks before, a bomb damaged an anti-racket officer, and subsequent police raids led to the arrest of 16 mafia members.

The footage revealed a well-dressed, middle-aged man activating a remote control that detonated the bomb just after the bus unloaded students.