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As Italy’s new government was being sworn in at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome on the morning of April 28, a man opened fire near the main entrance of Palazzo Chigi, the site of cabinet meetings, injuring two policemen, one of them seriously, and a woman bystander.
Luigi Preiti, 49, who had recently lost his job and separated from his wife, tried to flee but was immediately captured. He said he had been thinking for some time of “killing some politicians, then killing myself”, but had reportedly run out of ammunition.
The 21 ministers headed by Democratic Party (PD) caretaker Enrico Letta were not informed of the attack, and were sworn into office by the usual procedure. The coalition government supported by PD, Berlusconi’s People of Freedom and Civic Choice will face a confidence vote in parliament on Monday afternoon.
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