THE Pope’s Swiss Guard has opened fire after a driver ploughed through a Vatican checkpoint, sending the site into a terror lockdown.
Italian police shot at the rogue driver’s vehicle, hitting a wheel, after it veered through a checkpoint.
Cops shot at a rogue vehicle which skipped a checkpoint at the Vatican[/caption]
The suspect fled on foot before being apprehended by police[/caption]
Soldiers stand guard at the scene where a car broke through barriers near Vatican City[/caption]
Fearing for the worst, the Carabinieri activated anti-terror protocols which saw the doors to the Vatican sealed shut by the Pope’s own security entourage, known as the Swiss Guard.
A 39-year-old Albanian with a criminal record was arrested and was reported to have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident, according to Spanish media outlet Hoy.
The man, who was driving a BMW, drew the attention of local cops in the Pantheon – a pedestrian zone – and asked him to stop.
He failed to stop and sped through streets of the Italian capital until he reached Via de la Conciliazione which leads to Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
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The area was full of tourists and faithful due to Pope Francis giving a prayer from the window of his residence earlier in the day.
The car eventually stopped at Santo Oficio when two Carabineri opened fire on the vehicle, hitting a tyre and causing it to come to a complete standstill.
The suspect then fled from the car and was chased down by police and Carabineri patrols who were able to collar him in a nearby steet.
Before he was arrested, the man rammed his car into two officers, injuring them.
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Police used a stun gun to stop the man, who has since fronted court and is being transferred to a hospital.
Police have launched an investigation and terror inspectors have been involved.
It’s understood the man threw his wallet and watch out of the car window during the pursuit.
Police shot at the tyres of a car that failed to stop at a halt and broke through barriers on Via Paulo VI in Rome[/caption]
The area was still filled with tourists and the faithful after Pope Francis gave a prayer earlier in the day[/caption]
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