The arrest of an Italian police officer on suspicion of murder over the fatal shooting of a Moroccan man has prompted a row after the opposition accused Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government of exploiting the case for political ends. Cinturrino originally said he had acted in self-defence after Mansouri pulled a gun on him. Prosecutors allege that a gun found at the scene – which fired only blanks – was planted there by Cinturrino to support his story. They say that further investigations had indicated that Mansouri had feared the police officer and wanted to report him for allegedly demanding drugs and protection money. Elly Schlein, the leader of the centre-left Democratic party, accused the government of using the Rogoredo case for “political speculation”, while Giuseppe Conte, who leads the Five Star Movement, said the government had made a “serious blunder”.

Source: The Guardian February 24, 2026 20:03 UTC