CORRIERE DELLA SERA, LA REPUBBLICA, LA STAMPA (Italy)
ROME – A day after a dramatic shooting outside Italian government headquarters, one of the two injured Carabinieri police officers remains in critical condition Monday as Italy’s entire political system attempts to begin its own recovery with a key confidence vote in Parliament.
Sunday morning’s shooting coincided with the swearing in of the new Italian government, led by Prime Minister Enrico Letta, which on Monday was expecting to be confirmed by Parliament.
Corriere della Sera reported Monday that the man arrested outside of the Palazzo Chigi government headquarters, a 49-year-old unemployed Calabrian named Luigi Preiti, told investigators that he wanted to shoot politicians for failing to do enough to help the country. As he was unable to reach any politicians, he opened fire on the Carabinieri guarding the government buildings with the intention of committing suicide afterwards.
Carabinieri police officer Giuseppe Giangrande, 50, was shot in the neck during the shooting and doctors have expressed their worries about spinal cord damage, according to La Repubblica. Another officer was shot in the leg, causing a fracture, but it is not life threatening. A third victim was a pregnant woman who was only slightly hurt.
immagine del giorno? (homepage @repubblicait) #sparatoria #palazzoChigi twitter.com/claudioruss/st…
— Claudio Russo (@claudioruss) April 28, 2013
“Image of the day? (homepage @repubblicait) #shooting #Chigipalace”
These gunshots will change the tone of new Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s first speech to parliament on Monday afternoon, as he aims to rebuild a country that has been hit by the economic crisis. While he aims to reform policies, Letta must now take the social tension in the country into account, reports La Stampa.
Preiti was previously described as mentally unbalanced, however, Corriere della Sera writes that he has shown no signs of this and the attorneys will not ask for a psychiatric consultation. He is described as a desperate man, who is unemployed, separated, and as of a few months ago, unable to see his son.
The 46 year-old prime minister is well aware that he must give out strong signals from the beginning, and public opinion will be just as important as parliamentary following Sunday’s events.
President Napolitano and Prime Minister Letta. Photo via Enrico Letta’s Facebook
