A homeless illegal migrant from Tunisia has turned himself in after the brutal murder of priest Roberto Malgesini, who was killed in a public square in the city of Como.
The alleged murder took place on Tuesday morning in the Piazza San Rocco. The body of the 51-year-old priest was found at 7 am, and he is believed to have died from being stabbed in the neck.
However, the Tunisian immediately turned himself in to police and admitted that he had killed Father Malgesini.
At the time of his confession, the Tunisian was covered in the blood of the priest and boasted during his interrogation that Fr Malgesini had died “like a dog”. He also claimed the priest was conspiring to send him back to Tunisia.
The illegal migrant is said to have a history of theft and robbery, newspaper Il Giornale reports.
Roberto Bernasconi, director of the Catholic charity Caritas in Como, which helps migrants and asylum seekers, said that the Tunisian has a long history of mental illness going back to 2015. The migrant also had deportation orders stretching back to the same year that have never been enforced. It was subsequently revealed police had determined the confessed killer had been in a state of confusion but had no “psychiatric problems” at the time of the attack.
Populist Senator Matteo Salvini commented on the incident, saying: “In Como this morning, while he was entering his parish, a 51-year-old priest was stabbed to death by one of the many illegal immigrants who are irregularly in this country.”
“The problem is not the colour of the skin — one can be born here or on the other side of the world — the problem is respecting the rules and showing respect. Because if you come to my house and start messing around, I’m going to send you back to your house,” he added.
The alleged murder comes just days after a Pakistani man attempted to murder a German teen in the city of Cottbus, claiming he did so to avoid being deported.
It also comes just months after a migrant in Turin was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Italian man Stefano Leo. The man later admitted to killing the young Italian because he was white and seemed happy.