Puppies in bag spark bomb alert in Italy

MILAN - A moving bag apparently abandoned on a tram in Italy sparked panic among passengers who thought it was a bomb -- but turned out to contain four puppies.

Passengers, alarmed by movement in the large bag left on a seat on Tuesday evening, warned the driver, a witness said. "The driver stopped the tram and started walking up and down, trying to find out why the bag was left in the middle of the carriage," the witness said.

The transportation company in the northern city of Milan confirmed the report.


"People started moving away from the bag and some old ladies started murmuring about a possible bomb attack," the witness added.

But just as the driver prepared to raise the alarm by calling transport headquarters, the owner of the bag -- a homeless man sitting on the other side of the coach -- stood up and opened the bag, revealing the puppies.

"They were just puppies, but these days you never know," the driver said. Italy has been on alert for possible attacks since the March 11, 2004, bombings in Madrid and the attacks on London's transportation network last July.

- REUTERS