The victim is 65-year-old Raffaele Marianella. He was sitting next to the driver of the bus and was hit in the face by a large stone.
Group of home supporters followed the bus for dozens of kilometers
According to a reconstruction, a group of supporters of the home team of the basketball match from Rieti followed the bus for tens of kilometers after the police led it out of the city.
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The group then hid just after a junction near the provincial road between Rieti and Terni, where the bus passed shortly afterwards. Then the pelting of the bus started. After Marianella was struck, an ambulance arrived on the scene to try to save him, but the attempts proved in vain.
Police suspect premeditated attack
The police interrogated a dozen of Rieti’s supporters on Sunday night. No arrests have been made yet. Thanks to these interrogations and the cameras, the police hope to find those responsible for the criminal act and make arrests.
The two basketball teams compete in the A2 division. During the match there had been many skirmishes between both groups of supporters. The police then had to intervene to keep the supporters apart.
Pistoia’s away supporters were also interrogated by the police before they received a new tour bus. “Suddenly our bus was attacked by a shower of stones coming from downstairs. We didn’t see it coming at all because there was no one on the street. We are all completely upset,” said an unnamed Pistoia supporter quoted by the Italian newspaper Il Giornale. According to the police, the dynamics point to a premeditated attack.
It is striking that this violence, which resulted in a death, occurred by supporters of a basketball club. Basketball games are usually much quieter than football games. But tensions have also risen recently at basketball games.
The Italian basketball federation Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro (FIP) stated that it was extremely saddened by the death of the co-driver and spoke of a victim of the absurd act committed against the bus transporting the away fans. “The FIP is following the legal developments with maximum involvement and will take the necessary measures,” the basketball association stated.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences to the victim’s family and hoped that those “responsible for this cowardly and criminal act will be found and quickly handed over to the judiciary.” The mayor of Rieti, Daniele Sinibaldi, also expressed his horror at the “terrible criminal act” and hopes that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.