2 armed Turkish men arrested in the Italian city of Viterbo ahead of a popular local festival
ROME AP Two armed Turkish men were arrested in the central Italian city of Viterbo near Rome hours before a popular local festival Italy s Premier Giorgia Meloni stated Thursday Meloni praised police and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi for their swift intervention leading to the arrests on Wednesday night which she explained allowed for the safe celebration of a unique event Italian media stated that the two men were suspected of preparing an attack during Wednesday s celebration which was attended by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani Police in Viterbo were not directly available to comment on the arrests Thousands of people attend Viterbo s Macchina di Santa Rosa festival a religious procession and celebration held every year on Sept to honor the city s patron saint Santa Rosa The main event involves Facchini di Santa Rosa porters carrying a towering illuminated structure called the Macchina which weighs nearly tons through the city s narrow medieval streets In latest months Turkish government have conducted major operations against Turkish crime groups operating abroad in cooperation with European police In April coordinated raids in Turkey and several European countries led to arrests for drug trafficking and money laundering and the seizure of over tons of drugs In May a joint task force of Italian law enforcement and Interpol forces raided a flat in the Viterbo hamlet of Bagnaia and arrested the alleged Turkish mafia boss Bari Boyun one of Ankara s preponderance yearned men Source
