ACI Prensa Staff, 12 July, 2024 / 7:10 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis’ security had to be reinforced during his visit to Trieste, Italy, on July 7 due to the discovery of a pistol inside an abandoned suitcase at the city’s train station. The pope traveled to and from the city by helicopter.
According to the Italian press, less than 24 hours after the arrival of the Holy Father, all the alarms went off after the police discovered a Czech-made semiautomatic pistol inside the suitcase.
The discovered weapon, a 9 mm handgun with a magazine containing 14 bullets, was inside the suitcase along with two pairs of shoes and clothing of Turkish origin still bearing the labels.
The Carabinieri (Italy’s security agency) acted immediately and informed the authorities in charge of Pope Francis’ security during his participation in the 50th Social Week of Catholics so that they could increase protection measures.
The pope made the trip to participate in the annual event organized by the Catholic Church in Italy dedicated to promoting Catholic social doctrine.