The attack killed 85 people and injured 200 more, making it the worst of Italy’s ‘Years of Lead’ of political violence in the 1970s and 80s.
De Angelis said via social media that he knew “for certain” that three of the five people convicted of the bombing “had nothing to do with the Bologna massacre”.
He said the August 2 anniversary of the bombing “is always a very difficult day for anyone who knows the truth, which every year is trampled over, even by the highest figures of the State”.
“I’ll see Marcello De Angelis and I’ll listen to what he has to say,” Rocca said on the sidelines of an event in Latina.
“De Angelis made a big mistake by talking about certainty, even if he was speaking only for himself.
“I’ll make my evaluations, although he does not have a political role in the regional administration.
“I speak to Meloni very often and we have had the opportunity to talk.
“She asked me to clarify and she certainly was not happy about what happened.”
The comments sparked outrage from the parties opposed to Rocca’s right-wing regional executive in Lazio, who said De Angelis was trying to re-write history and called for him to quit or be fired.
Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein on Sunday called on Meloni to intervene, saying De Angelis’ comments were “despicable”.
De Angelis meanwhile on Monday apologised for his comments and the furore they have caused, but in a long post on Facebook, stopped short of saying he would be resigning from his position.
“In the last few days I have expressed personal reflections on my social-media profile which have become the subject of a row that has involved everyone,” he said.
“I intend to apologise to those people, and there are many, starting from the people closest to me, whom I have caused unease, dragging them into a situation that has taken on a dimension that is unimaginable for me.”
ANSA
