According to Ansa News, Italy, two young American nationals have been arrested and are in Police custody. As they are accused of murder of deputy brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega. They found the murder weapon “bloody knife” in their hotel room.
Christian Gabriel 18 and Natale Hjorth 19 years old, American citizens were traced to a high-end hotel. One has reportedly confessed.
Mario Rega, 35, was stabbed to death in central Rome, Italy on Friday’s morning. He had been called to the scene after reports of a robbery.
The young American men were allegedly in the Trastevere area, near to Vatican City, trying to buy drugs. They are said to have stolen a rucksack from an alleged drug dealer who had sold them fake product, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
They reportedly offered to bring it back to him, if he paid them $100 (£80; €90) and gave them a gram of cocaine. As they waited, they were approached by Rega and a colleague as part of a plain-clothed operation because the police had been tipped off about the bag exchange, Ansa reported. A brawl ensued, during which Rega was stabbed several times. He was taken to hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Vice-Brigadier Rega had been married only 43 days and had returned from his honeymoon just this week. His funeral will be held on Monday, in the same church in which he was married.
