Bus driver killed in fan stone attack near Rieti
A bus driver died after supporters of an Italian basketball team attacked a coach with stones on a highway near Rieti, about 80 kilometers northeast of Rome. Raffaele Marianella, 65, suffered fatal head injuries when a large stone crashed through the windscreen as fans of Pistoia Basket returned from defeating SRS Sebastiani Rieti in a second-tier match. Marianella was seated at the front but not operating the vehicle when the assault occurred.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence as unacceptable, while Sports Minister Andrea Abodi labeled the attackers as criminals turned murderers. Gianni Petrucci, president of Federbasket, pledged cooperation with legal authorities to respond to the attack. Police have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators responsible for throwing objects at the team bus.
