Device found in car of official in charge of Rome's parks.

Rome's bomb squad defused a homemade incendiary device found in the car of Marco Andrea Doria, a city official in charge of restoring the capital's parks and historic villas, on the evening of 16 June.

Doria, who has been the subject of intimidation in the past, reported the tampering of his vehicle to police who sealed off two streets in the Prati district, not far from the Olympic Stadium ahead of the Italy-Switzerland Euro 2020 match.

The vehicle, a Smart, was parked in Via Tito Speri, near Piazza Mazzini. Local media described the device as an aerosol can filled with gunpowder and bolts, connected with wires to the car's windscreen wipers.

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi has expressed her full solidarity with Doria, condemning the incident as a "very serious act."

Authorities have refused to speculate on the motive, however it is believed that the intimidation relates to Doria's moves against illegal squatting in historic buildings, and damage to statues and fountains in Villa Pamphilj.

• Rome's Villa Pamphilj is being vandalised at night

Doria, a member of the noble Doria Pamphilj dynasty, was appointed to his municipal role by Raggi in 2018.

Previous acts of intimidation against Doria include bullets left on his car and punctured tyres, with his enemies stooping to kill his dog Diablo by feeding the animal a wurstel stuffed full of nails.

"He died in my arms," a distraught Doria told Italian newspaper La Repubblica, adding: "They have put me in their sights and they continue to raise the level. Now I am beginning to be afraid."

A police investigation is underway amid reports that authorities will evaluate Doria's security detail following the foiled attack. Photo: Tgcom24-Mediaset.

È stato ritrovato un ordigno nella macchina di Marco Doria, presidente del Tavolo per la riqualificazione dei parchi e delle ville storiche di Roma. Un fatto gravissimo, esprimo la mia piena solidarietà.

— Virginia Raggi (@virginiaraggi) June 16, 2021