1946 British Embassy bombing

1946 British Embassy bombing
Location	Porta Pia, Rome
Date	31 October 1946
Target	British Embassy; Ambassador Noel Charles
Attack type	Bombing
Weapons	Timed explosives encased in suitcases
Perpetrators	Irgun
Inquiry	Italian police, Carabinieri and the Allied Police Force

The bombing of the British Embassy at Porta Pia in Rome was a terrorist action^[1] perpetrated by the Irgun that occurred on 31 October 1946. Two suitcases containing timed explosives were planted near the Embassy's front entrance; the resulting blast injured two people and damaged the building's residential section beyond repair. The Irgun targeted the Embassy because they considered it an obstacle to illegal Jewish immigration into Mandatory Palestine.^[2] One of the Irgun's intended targets, ambassador Noel Charles, was away on leave during the attack. It was quickly determined that foreign militants from Mandatory Palestine were behind the attack and under pressure from Great Britain, the Italian police, Carabinieri and the Allied Police Force rounded up numerous members of the Betar organization, which had recruited militants from among the displaced refugees.^[3] Confirming fears of the expansion of Jewish terrorism beyond Mandatory Palestine, the bombing of the Embassy was the first attack against British personnel by the Irgun on European soil.

The British and Italian governments commenced an extensive investigation and concluded that Irgun operatives from Mandatory Palestine organized the attack. The attack was condemned by the leaders of Jewish agencies superintending their refugees. Italy subsequently enacted strict immigration reform and antisemitic sentiment heightened in the United Kingdom. The Italian government rounded up nine suspects, one of whom was shot and killed by the police during an escape attempt. However, the remaining eight suspects were later released from custody. During the early 1950s, Israel lobbied the British to pressure the Italian government not to pursue the militants. In 1952, the eight suspects–including ringleader Moishe Deitel–were tried in absentia and received light sentences ranging from 8 to 16 months.