New Delhi: Assailants on Thursday opened fire at a supermarket owned by Lionel Messi's in-laws in his hometown of Rosario and also left a threatening message for him, as per the police. It was informed that nobody was injured in the early morning attack, but it was unclear why assailants would target the Argentina star or the supermarket, which is owned by his wife Antonella Roccuzzo's family.
According to a report by The Guardian, Police stated that two men on a motorcycle fired at least a dozen shots into the supermarket in the early hours. They left a message on a piece of cardboard that read, “Messi, we’re waiting for you. [Rosario mayor Pablo] Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you.”
Messi, who last captained Argentina's victory at last year’s World Cup, is yet to present a response to the incident.
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As per the report, prosecutor Federico Rébola informed that authorities were going through security camera footage while the investigation was “preliminary.” He mentioned that it was the first time when Messi’s in-laws had received this kind of threat.
Justice minister for Santa Fe province Celia Arena, where Rosario is located, said that the attack amounted to “terrorism” by a “mafia” group meant to intimidate the broader population, The Guardian reported.
Rosario mayor Pablo Javkin, a center-left politician in opposition to the ruling Peronist coalition, criticised federal authorities over what he termed as their failure to curb a surge in drug-related violence in Rosario, located about 190 miles northwest of Buenos Aires.
According to the report, he appeared to suggest the complicity of federal security officials and criminal gangs in the attack.
“I doubt everyone, even those who are supposed to protect us,” Javkin said in an interview with a local radio station, as quoted by The Guardian.
“Where are the ones who need to take care of us?” Javkin said, as per the report. “It’s clear that those who have the weapons and have the possibility of investigating the criminals aren’t doing it, and it’s very easy for any gang to carry out something like this,” he added.
He mentioned that the supermarket was in a section of Rosario that has seen frequent crimes and said that he raised the issue in recent meetings with federal and provincial law enforcement officers, but, according to him, no action has been taken.