Messina: Two young men of Maghreb origin caught stealing in a supermarket, arrested

In the early afternoon of Tuesday 11 February, three Carabinieri from the Messina Provincial Command arrested two young men of foreign nationality for improper robbery and resisting a public official.

The military personnel of the Arma, while inside a supermarket, off duty and in civilian clothes, noticed the owner of the business, while he was arguing heatedly with two individuals asking him what they had hidden under their clothes. The two individuals, of Maghreb origin, denying having anything on them, attempted to leave the supermarket, but were stopped by the three Carabinieri who, after identifying themselves, placed themselves between them and the exit, inviting them to desist in their action.

Immediately after the two young men, seeing their only escape route blocked, passed near the anti-shoplifting columns and set off the alarm, after which, as later also confirmed by viewing the images from the video surveillance system, they tried to get rid of three bottles of liquor hidden under their jackets, placing them on some shelves and on the water packages, and to reach the exit, resisting and pushing the military personnel of the Carabinieri who, however, managed to block them.

A team of State Police officers, who were involved in territorial control activities in the area, also intervened on the scene to assist the military personnel in searching the arrested individuals and taking them to the barracks, at the offices of the Messina Principale Carabinieri Station, where they were declared under arrest in flagrante delicto and, once the formal procedures were completed, they were taken to the Messina Gazzi prison, at the disposal of the Judicial Authority, while the stolen goods were returned to their rightful owners.