Viral video suggests Berlusconi attack was faked

A YouTube video that suggests the attack on Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was faked went viral over the weekend. The Daily Mail reports that the video received over 500,000 hits in a matter of hours.

The video is titled "Was the attack on Berlusconi a montage?" and advances the idea that the blood on the prime minister's face appears to be "thick and already" set. If he lost "half a liter" of blood as reports say, then why wasn't his suit covered? the film asks.

The anonymous video goes on to suggest that a security guard handed Berlusconi an "aerosol spray containing fake blood" as he got into his car.

A spokesman for Berlusconi's party denied the claim and called it "micro-terrorism," dubbing the prime minister's critics ""cowards, falsifiers and dreamers." Since the attack, Berlusconi's approval rating has leapt from 48.6% to 55.9%.

This video is from YouTube, broadcast Dec. 21, 2009.

Download video via RawReplay.com