Viterbo, foiled attempt on the Macchina di Santa Rosa. Two Turks arrested, loaded machine gun found

Arms trafficking is also on the horizon in the case of the transportation of the Macchina di Santa Rosa in Viterbo, which took place last night, Wednesday 3 September, with the city lit up instead of lights out as per tradition. The alarm was triggered after two Turks found in possession of automatic weapons were arrested by the Digos of the Viterbo police headquarters in the afternoon. The two were staying in a b&b in Via Santa Rosa, a few metres from the churchyard of the Santa Rosa monastery.

In particular, a semi-automatic pistol and an assault machine gun made in Eastern Europe, both 9-calibre, were found loaded and ready for use in the B&'s room. From leaked rumours, it appears that at the time of the officers' raid, the weapons were loaded and resting in plain view on one of the room's pieces of furniture. This, and the presence of an open window, would have led the police to think that the two were preparing to shoot at the crowd assembled for the festivities or even at the car dedicated to the Saint and the porters, the faithful carrying the canopy, who would have paraded shortly afterwards. A hypothesis that investigators continue to consider, although subsequent investigations, also carried out by checking the mobile phones of those arrested, would lead more to the track of international arms trafficking.

Congratulations to the Forces of Order and to Interior Minister Piantedosi for the prompt intervention that led to the arrest of two armed Turkish citizens in Viterbo, a few hours before the feast of the Macchina di Santa Rosa'. Council President Giorgia Meloni wrote this on Facebook. "A decisive operation that made it possible to safely celebrate an event that is unique in the world, which has been recognised by Unesco as an intangible heritage of Humanity and represents a centuries-old tradition deeply felt by the people of Viterbo and by many Italians," the premier concluded.

The Minister of the Interior also applauds the operation. "Congratulations to the prefect of Viterbo, the chief of police and all those involved in managing yesterday's complex day in Viterbo. Thanks to all of them, the Santa Rosa celebrations took place in conditions of complete safety for citizens. In just a few hours, two dangerous individuals were identified and apprehended and the security arrangements were remodelled without generating alarm and concern among the participants. It was yet another proof of efficiency on the part of the men and women committed every day to the safety of citizens, to whom the renewed gratitude of our Government goes"..

"Two Turkish citizens armed with machine guns and pistols, as well as numerous bullets, arrested shortly before the Feast of Santa Rosa in Viterbo. It could have been a massacre, but the decisive intervention of the police foiled the attack. We applaud and thank the women and men in uniform. In Italy there is no room for terrorism'. This was stated on social media by the deputy prime minister and leader of the League Matteo Salvini.