Car speeds through Vatican gate, fired upon by guards; driver arrested after reaching courtyard
Vatican gates were breached Thursday when a car driven by an individual with apparent mental health issues sped past Swiss Guards at the entrance.
The car was eventually halted and its driver apprehended by police in the palace courtyard, reported the Holy See.
Vatican gendarmes attempted to stop the vehicle by firing at its tires, but the car managed to continue through the gates, the Vatican press office said in a news release.
When the vehicle entered the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, the driver was immediately taken into custody by law enforcement officers.
The Vatican reported the driver to be around 40 years old and in a “serious state of psychophysical alteration” at the time of the arrest.
The man was later subjected to a medical exam at the Health and Hygiene Directorate of Vatican City, reports Italian paper la Repubblica. He’s currently being held in a detention cell at the new gendarmerie barracks.
There was no indication if the Pope had been close to the incident, which happened after 8 p.m. at the Santa Anna gate, a major entryway into Vatican City.
Typically at this hour, Pope Francis would be eating and retiring to his room in the Santa Marta hotel, situated on the other side of the city.
With News Wire Services
