Italian ministers accused of ‘serious blunder’ as police officer arrested for murder

Meloni government had claimed case showed why officers using weapons in self-defence needed more protection

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that if the allegations were confirmed “then we would be faced with a very serious crime, a betrayal of the nation and the dignity and honour of our law enforcement officers”.

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.

Abderrahim Mansouri, 28, was shot in the head by Carmelo Cinturrino, assistant chief of Mecenate police station, during a police drugs patrol in the Rogoredo area of Milan in late January. Cinturrino originally said he had acted in self-defence after Mansouri pulled a gun on him.