CNA newsroom, May 18, 2023 / 3:13 p.m
An unidentified man is in custody this Thursday after driving a car at high speed through a gate in the Vatican, the press office of the Holy See has reported.
A guard stationed at the entrance to Santa Anna fired his weapon in the direction of the front tires of the vehicle, hitting the left front fender, but the vehicle continued into the Vatican grounds until the driver exited into the courtyard of San Damaso , the main courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, the press office said. There the man was blocked and detained by the Gendarmerie Corps, the press office said.
The events happened after eight in the evening at one of the main entrances to Vatican City by car. It is located north of Plaça de Sant Pere and next to the barracks of the Swiss Guard. The press office said the man initially approached the entrance in his vehicle and was turned away because he did not have the proper authorization.
“Despite the instructions given to him by the Pontifical Swiss Guard, which prevented him from entering the State without the corresponding authorizations, he temporarily abandoned the entrance and, after maneuvering, returned at high speed, forcing the two control gates, of the Swiss Guard and the Vatican City State Gendarmerie,” the press office said.
