Einstein Telescope project hit by third arson attack in Sardinia

Two researchers from Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Carlo Giunchi and his wife, were targeted in Lula, Sardinia. Their cars were set ablaze with gasoline and their rented house was shot at, destroying one vehicle and damaging the other. The incident is the third violent act against the Einstein Telescope, a multibillion‑euro gravitational‑wave observatory slated for the island.

The Nuoro public prosecutor, Daniele Rosa, opened a terrorism file and warned that “rotten apples” oppose the project, which promises up to 30,000 jobs over nine years. Investigators are probing anarchist groups, lone actors and possible local interests, but no group has claimed responsibility. Security checks in the area have been heightened as the project moves forward.