A 21-year-old Italian man in the city of Palermo has been arrested after he threw three Molotov cocktails at a local Carabinieri station following a fine he received for breaking Wuhan coronavirus lockdown rules.
The incident took place over the night of December 26th and the early morning of the 27th and came just hours after the 21-year-old had been handed a fine for breaking coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
According to a report from newspaper Il Giornale, the man had travelled to a petrol station after getting the fine and filled up bottles which he used as Molotov cocktails against the police station.
Investigators were able to quickly identify the 21-year-old using CCTV footage and managed to arrest him just hours after the attack which is said to have done only minor damage to the Carabinieri station.
Provincial commander of the carabinieri Arturo Guarino claimed that the attack was not random, saying: “The attack was not on impulse but was organized.” He went on to add that there have been some responses to coronavirus fines but nothing comparable to the Molotov attack.
“Thanks to the soldiers of the station who managed to trace the young man in a few hours,” Guarino added.
Italians who break the country’s coronavirus lockdown rules can face heavy fines and some even risk up to six years in prison if they lie to officials while breaking the rules. Those caught breaking the rules can receive fines from €500 to €5,000.
Since the outbreak of the virus and the lockdowns enacted shortly thereafter, many Italians have been handed coronavirus fines, including a couple who were fined 400 euros because they kissed each other in public and were unable to provide documentation proving that they lived together.
In November, another man claimed to have been fined for kissing his girlfriend on an Italian television programme, which also featured populist Italian Senator Matteo Salvini offering to pay the fine for the young man.