Denver – Three months after shooting a Moroccan migrant dead in the Italian town of Voghera, Massimo Adriatici has been released from house arrest.
On July 20th, Italian authorities responded to a bar in Voghera after an altercation between Adriatici and Younes El Boussetaoui, a Moroccan national, led to Adriatici shooting El Boussetaoui outside the bar.
Adriatici, who is a former police officer and local politician, claimed El Boussetaoui assaulted him prior to the shooting. Adriatici is a member of the right-wing League Party, a political party typically associated with right-wing populism and xenophobia.
Members of Adriatici’s party immediately voiced their support for the former Italian police officer, claiming his actions were justified as self-defense.
Meanwhile, left-leaning parties have accused El Boussetaoui’s shooter of committing “Wild West vigilante justice.” Officials also accused Adriatici of acting recklessly despite being a trained law enforcement official.
According to investigators, Adriatici shot El Boussetaoui with a .22 caliber pistol, striking him in the right side of his chest.
Gun laws in Italy are subject to the EU’s firearm regulations and typically require a valid license and registration with local authorities. Italian citizens are also required to register with authorities to carry their firearms outside of their homes.
As a former police officer, Adriatici easily qualifies for these privileges. However, critics of his actions question why Adriatici decided to carry a firearm inside a bar, given the presence of alcohol in the surroundings and the well-known correlation between alcohol consumption and reckless behavior.
In July, El Boussetaoui’s killing marked the third Moroccan death in Italy under circumstances that bore markers of racism and right-wing xenophobia.
