(Vatican City) A man forced his car into the Vatican on Thursday evening before being arrested, the Holy See’s press service said.
Shortly after 8:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. Eastern time), a motorist arrived at one of the entrances to the Vatican, and after being turned away by the Swiss Guards, for lack of access authorization, returned ” at high speed, forcing the two checkpoints,” according to the same source.
A Vatican Gendarmerie inspector fired a shot at the car’s tires but failed to stop him. An alert having been launched, other accesses to the Vatican were closed.
The car finally stopped inside the Vatican City “and the man got out on his own and was overpowered by the gendarmerie”, according to the same source.
“He was immediately subjected to a medical examination […] who found a serious psychophysical alteration” of the driver.
The latter, whose identity has not been specified, is imprisoned in a Vatican cell and is at the disposal of the judicial authorities, the statement concludes.