Gunmen threatened Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi in a written message left on Thursday when they opened fire at a supermarket owned by his in-laws in Argentina, police said. (More Football News)
Nobody was injured in the early morning attack, and it was unclear why assailants would target Lionel Messi or the Unico supermarket in the country바카라s third-largest city of Rosario, owned by the family of his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo.
Gunmen threatened Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi in a written message left on Thursday when they opened fire at a supermarket owned by his in-laws in Argentina, police said. (More Football News)
Nobody was injured in the early morning attack, and it was unclear why assailants would target Lionel Messi or the Unico supermarket in the country바카라s third-largest city of Rosario, owned by the family of his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo.
The city바카라s mayor, Pablo Javkin, went to the supermarket and lashed out at federal authorities over what he called their failure to curb a surge in drug-related violence in Rosario, located about 190 miles (300 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Buenos Aires.
Police said two men on a motorcycle fired at least a dozen shots into an Unico branch in the early hours, leaving a message on carboard that read, 바카라Messi, we바카라re waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won바카라t take care of you.바카라
Messi has not commented. Considered by many to the greatest football player of all time, Messi is revered in Argentina, especially since he led the national team to the country바카라s first World Cup victory in 36 years in Qatar in December.
Messi currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and spends much of his time overseas, though he often visits Rosario where he has a home in the suburb of Funes. The French team posted a photo on social media of Messi training on Thursday morning.
In Rosario, prosecutor Federico Rébola said authorities were reviewing security camera footage and that the investigation was 바카라preliminary.바카라 It was the first time Messi바카라s in-laws had received this kind of threat, he added.
Celia Arena, justice minister for Santa Fe province, where Rosario is located, said the attack amounted to 바카라terrorism바카라 by a 바카라mafia바카라 group meant to intimidate the broader population.
바카라The aim is to deliberately cause terror in the population and discourage those of us who are fighting against criminal violence, knowing that it will be an event of global significance,바카라 Arena wrote in a social media post.
Javkin, a center-left politician in opposition to the ruling Peronist coalition, appeared to throw suspicion of complicity for the attack on both criminal gangs and federal security officials.
바카라I doubt everyone, even those who are supposed to protect us,바카라 Javkin said in an interview with a local radio station.
He said that he had recently had 바카라very strong discussions바카라 with members of the federal security forces over the past couple of weeks demanding that they crack down on the city바카라s crime.
바카라Where are the ones who need to take care of us?바카라 Javkin said. 바카라It바카라s clear that those who have the weapons and have the possibility of investigating the criminals aren바카라t doing it, and it바카라s very easy for any gang to carry out something like this.바카라
The federal government바카라s Security Minister Aníbal Fernández said drug-related violence was not a recent phenomenon in the city, and that Thursday바카라s attack was typical of what has happened there 바카라for the last 20 years.바카라
He said the incident was an example of how drug traffickers 바카라have won바카라 in Rosario, but now 바카라we have to reverse that.바카라
Opposition politicians blamed President Alberto Fernández바카라s administration for the continuing violence in Rosario. His predecessor, Mauricio Macri, characterized the events as a warning that the country cannot 바카라co-exist바카라 with drug traffickers.
Messi, 35, is currently renegotiating a contract with Paris Saint-Germain that ends this year amid speculation that the football superstar could decide to end his career playing for one of the local Rosario clubs, Newell바카라s.
Messi, who this week won FIFA바카라s best men바카라s player award, could travel to Argentina later this month to join the national squad in playing two friendly matches. One takes place March 23 against Panama in Buenos Aires, while the other one will be five days later against Curacao in the northern city of Santiago del Estero.