(ANSA) - Rome, December 7 - Two allied anarchist groups on Thursday claimed responsibility for a rudimentary explosive device that went off outside a Carabinieri police station in Rome's San Giovanni district at around 5:30 on Thursday. No one was hurt in the blast on Rome's Via Britannia.

The Santiago Maldonado cell of the Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI) and the International Revolutionary Front (FRI) said it had carried out the attack.

The reliability of the claim is being assessed.

Maldonado was an Argentinian activist found dead last October 78 days after going missing, who supported the cause of the Mapuche indigenous people. Police had said they were looking at the "galaxy" of small anarchist groups for the incident.

However, they also said they were open to exploring all leads.

The device consisted of a metal container holding gunpowder and a fuse.

Police said the device had a timer, too.

Two hooded persons placed it in front of the police station before fleeing, police said.

There were about 10 people inside the station at the time.

None of them were hurt, police reiterated. It was said to resemble a rudimentary bomb that went off in a Rome post-office car park in May.

Carabinieri Commander-in-Chief General Tullio Del Sette said "the Carabinieri will not allow themselves to be intimidated" by such acts.

He said "instead, they will continue with renewed commitment their daily activity in the service of the country and its people".

Del Sette voiced "the solidarity and sympathies of the authorities and citizens" with the San Giovanni station Carabinieri.

