Jewish shops in Rome vandalized, defaced with swastikas

Jewish shops across Rome were vandalized and defaced with swastikas in an apparent neo-fascist attack

linked to fighting in the Middle East, officials said Wednesday.

Owners of about 20 shops in the center and outskirts of the Italian capital reached their workplace Tuesday morning to find door locks filled with glue, shutters nailed closed and swastikas defacing nearby walls, said Riccardo Pacifici, a spokesman for Rome's Jewish Community. Although not all the shops targeted were owned by Jews, the raid was apparently conducted in reaction to hostilities between Israel and Hezbullah guerrillas, Pacifici said. (AP)