Not, the italian seismologists predicted that NOTHING will happen. The validity of their "prediction" was tested during next 48 hours. They were wrong because they did not know, how to predict earthquakes (as many of mainsteram seismologists). They want to quiet the people, who slept outside their home after correct prediction made by G. Giuliani. Some of these people came back to their homes in the evening before the mainshock. And many of them died.
This is the scholar case, how official science made the mistake and, on the other hand, the amateur - technician Giampaolo Giuliani confirmed, that he is able to predict earthquakes. The prediction by Giuliani is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wj3LfyaEjQ&feature=relmfu. The older videos are only in italiano.