The man breaks through the entrance to the Vatican and runs

to 1:53 a.m | Reading Time: 2 minutes

EA disturbed man drives into the Vatican with his car and raises a great alarm. The car ran through a checkpoint on Thursday evening and reached the front door of the Apostolic Palace, the Holy See said. However, the situation escalated after a while as security measures were taken quickly and the driver was soon arrested.

According to reports, the man, aged around 40, first drove his car to the open Santa Anna entrance gate near St Peter’s Square and was turned away. He then reversed the car and drove at high speed past two checkpoints of the Pontifical Swiss Guard and the Gendarmerie Corps of the Vatican State.

A gendarme wanted to stop the car and shot the front tires with a gun, but only hit the front left fender. The car did not stop, but was pushed further into the Vatican. Eventually, he made it all the way to the Court of Damasus—and thus practically to the entrance of the Apostolic Palace. Among other things, state guests are escorted here and from there to the Pope.

Doctors consider it a “psychological disorder”.

The driver got out of the car and was arrested by emergency services, the Vatican announced. During the immediate examination, doctors from the Vatican State Department of Health discovered what they called a “psychological disorder.” The Italian man was arrested in the evening at the Vatican gendarmerie barracks, according to Ansa news agency.

Pope Francis should never have been in danger: he lives in the Santa Marta guesthouse on the other side of the Vatican, while former heads of the Catholic Church live in their private apartments in the Apostolic Palace.

After the car incident, a radio alarm was sounded and security guards closed the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Gardens and the guest house behind Santa Marta Square.

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