Americans Jailed for Stabbing Italian Cop Turn on Each Other - The Daily Beast

ROME, Italy—When 19-year-old Finnegan Elder and 18-year-old Gabe Natale Hjorth were first met by two undercover police officers with Italy’s military Carabinieri police force on a dark street near the Vatican in Rome, they thought they were about to get jumped. 

According to a 14-page document from the investigating judge, which was reviewed by The Daily Beast, the two Americans had earlier approached Sergio Brugiatelli, a layabout who can always be found on Piazza Mastei in Rome's Trastevere district, for cocaine. Brugiatelli pointed them to a pusher.

The Americans allegedly thought they were buying cocaine, but when their €100 purchase ended up being crushed aspirin, they returned and stole Brugiatelli's backpack in revenge. Brugiatelli called his phone, which rang from inside the stolen backpack, and they set up a plan to meet and exchange the bag for €100 and a gram of cocaine. 

The document states that Elder’s and Natale Hjorth’s stories sync about the drug deal, the stolen backpack, and the plan to meet Brugiatelli. Then, things diverge.

Natale Hjorth, who is a dual American-Italian citizen, though he has never lived in Italy, says he had no idea Elder was carrying a knife when they went to meet who they thought would be Brugiatelli. But Elder says they had both agreed to take it with them "just in case."

Police say that given the size of the weapon they doubt that Natale Hjorth could have missed the fact his friend had it on him. Elder also accuses his friend of finding the drug connection based on friends he knows from Natale Hjorth’s summers visiting his grandfather in Italy. Natale Hjorth instead claims the drug buy was all his friend’s idea. 

After the Americans stole the backpack and arrived at the meeting place, just half a block from the hotel near the Vatican where they were staying, they were met by Mario Cerciello Rega and Andrea Varriale, two undercover police officers with Italy's elite military Carabinieri who were both unarmed and without backup.

The Americans tell police they thought Brugiatelli sent someone to beat them up, so a scuffle broke out and Rega ended up dead from 11 stab wounds, allegedly from Elder’s military grade trench knife that he brought with him from the U.S. Police have confirmed to The Daily Beast that when Elder was shown the murder weapon, he allegedly said it was his. 

Rega was fatally stabbed, allegedly by Elder, and Varriale suffered minor wounds, allegedly inflicted by Natale Hjorth. The two were arrested in their hotel room on Friday, after police say they found the hidden weapon and their bloody clothes behind a ceiling tile. 

According to the investigating judge's report, Varriale says that he and his partner identified themselves as "carabinieri," a term for military police in civil law enforcement, or gendarmes, that it is unlikely either American understood. Elder told police that the plainclothes men did not show a badge, and that he had no idea they were cops. The police were also unarmed and did not have back-up, which has raised eyebrows in Rome and questions about whether the cops were on official duty or not.  

Elder says Rega put his hands on his neck, and he acted in self defense, fearful he was about to be attacked. 

Varriale says the last words his partner said were, “Help! They are killing me.” He died a short time later in the emergency room. 

“The Americans tell police they thought Brugiatelli sent someone to beat them up, so a scuffle broke out and Rega ended up dead from 11 stab wounds.”

Photos leaked to Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera show Natale Hjorth blindfolded in police custody, which is against Italian law. The local police have opened an internal investigation not only into why the young American was blindfolded, but who leaked the photo. Preliminary reports from that internal investigation are that nothing improper happened and that the officer who placed the blindfold on Natale Hjorth has been reassigned. It is yet unclear who took the photo. 

But new information reported late Monday in Rome suggests that while the heinous crime is inexcusable, there are extenuating factors. Brugiatelli, it is now known, called the police about his stolen bag an hour after he had already met Varriale in Piazza Mastei. In audio of the emergency call, heard by The Daily Beast, Brugiatelli does not identify the alleged thieves at all, neither to call them foreigners, nor to say they were not Italian speakers, nor to describe what they were wearing. The police instead are thought to have sent high-level officers to the scene, which is curious indeed, since the standard practice for stolen personal items is to go to the nearest police office to file a report in person. 

Nonetheless, the two undercover officers arrived at the meeting point with the Americans to get Brugiatelli's bag back. Carabinieri officials did not answer a Daily Beast question about proof that they were dispatched officially. A number of sources have suggested to The Daily Beast that Brugiatelli was perhaps a police informant and the officers may have said they would rough up the Americans to get the bag back as a favor. 

Elder’s mother, Leah Elder, has spoken to The Daily Beast by phone. Most of what she has shared to date is off the record, but she did say she is concerned that her son is not getting the medical attention he needs. He was on prescription Xanax, and police say the medication was found in his room. 

“His funeral was held in the same church where he was married just 40 days earlier.”

Elder also says her son was denied access to U.S. consulate officials for the first 48 hours and given a court-appointed lawyer who did not speak English, possibly hindering his defense. One might not be surprised at such treatment of suspects thought to be cop killers, though such treatment is illegal.

Late Monday, the Elder family confirmed to The Daily Beast that their son had finally been able to talk to American officials who are now working to change their son's lawyer to one selected by his family. They also say he is finally getting medical care. 

Meanwhile Emiliano Sisinni, the lawyer for Natale Hjorth, issued his own statement, accusing the police of maltreatment for the blindfolding of his client. “I can only express strong regret and concern, both as a lawyer and as a citizen, about what occurred in the Carabinieri barracks to the detriment of my client,” he said, setting up an obvious defense for a coerced confession. “That a suspect is subjected to such treatment in the phase preceding the interrogation must seriously reflect on the implications that this could have on the free self-determination of a suspect in making statements.”

He also goes on to say that his client cannot be blamed for the actions of his friend. “As noted during his interrogation Mr. Natale has clarified his position, which is completely extraneous to the unpredictable conduct of others which led to the death of a servant of the state.”

On Monday, Rega was laid to rest in the town of Somma Vesuviana on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius near Naples. His funeral was held in the same church where he was married just 40 days earlier. The same people who came to the church to celebrate his wedding were there on Monday to bid their final farewell. 

Matteo Salvini, Italy's interior minister and head of the country's security forces, has called for life sentences and hard labor for the Americans. He said that the photo of the blindfolded suspect should not be a distraction and that the only victim is Rega. When Salvini left the church behind Rega's flower-laden coffin, townspeople chanted “Justice for Mario” in support. 

Elder’s mother says her son had been on a European holiday in Germany and Spain before flying to Rome to catch up with his high-school friend Natale Hjorth, who was visiting his paternal grandfather in the city of Fiumicino near Rome. The two came to Rome for a few days of fun. But they may end up staying the rest of their lives. 

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2019-07-30 11:31:00Z
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Brazil prison riot leaves dozens dead and almost 20 decapitated at Alatmira prison in Para state - CBS News

Prisoners armed with homemade knives are seen on the roof of a building inside the Alatmira prison compound during a riot at the facility in northern Brazil's Para state, July 29, 2019. TV RECORD/Reuters

Rio De Janeiro -- At least 57 prisoners were killed by other inmates during clashes between organized crime groups in the Altamira prison in northern Brazil Monday. Sixteen of the victims were decapitated, according to prison officials.

Para state prison authorities said a fight erupted around 7 a.m. between the Rio de Janeiro-based Comando Vermelho and a local criminal group known as Comando Classe A.

"Leaders of the (Comando Classe A) set fire to a cell belonging to one of the prison's pavilions, where members of the (Comando Vermelho) were located," the statement read.

Trending News

State prisons chief Jarbas Vasconcelos said the fire had spread rapidly with inmates held in old container units that had been adapted for the prison while another building is under construction.

The fire prevented police forces from entering the building for several hours, he told a news conference.

Policemen and soldiers are seen in front of a prison after a riot, in the city of Altamira, Brazil, July 29, 2019. REUTERS

Two prison staff members were held hostage, but eventually released.

"It was a targeted attack. The aim was to show that it was a settling of accounts between the two groups, not a protest or rebellion against the prison system," Vasconcelos said.

Authorities have not found any firearms following the riot, only makeshift knives.

Prison authorities said 46 inmates will be transferred to other prisons, 10 of which will go to stricter federal facilities.

Brazil's over-packed prisons 

President Jair Bolsonaro was elected on the promise of curbing widespread violence in Brazil, including in the country's often overcrowded, out-of-control prisons. 

The Associated Press obtained a July 2019 report from the National Justice Council that it says was filed by a local judge in charge of the facility, showing that the prison had 343 detainees. It is intended to house a maximum of 163.

Yet Vasconcelos said the situation did not meet the official requirements to be considered overcrowded. "It is not a unit that has a prison overcrowding, we consider overcrowding when it exceeds 210%," Vasconcelos said during the press conference.

The judge who filed the report described the overall state of the prison in the city of Altamira as "terrible."

History of prison riots 

In many of Brazil's prisons, badly outnumbered guards struggle to retain power over an ever-growing population of inmates who are able to run criminal activities from behind bars.

The killings echoed those of 55 inmates who died in a series of riots in May in several prisons in the neighboring state of Amazonas.

In early 2017, more than 120 inmates died in prisons across several northern states when rival gangs clashed over control of drug-trafficking routes in the region. The violence lasted several weeks, spreading to various states.

Para state authorities spent the afternoon in Altamira, drafting a security plan to avoid possible retaliations in the region. Police forces from the nearby municipality of Santerem were sent as reinforcement in the coming weeks.

A woman cries after receiving information that her brother was one of the inmates who died during a prison riot, in front of a prison in the city of Altamira, Brazil, July 29, 2019. REUTERS

Prison authorities said they had not received any prior intelligence reports of an upcoming attack.

The prison is run directly by the state, not a third-party private operator as in the Manaus prisons where the riots took place in May.

Last year, inmates had already set fire to another wing inside the same prison unit, according to the state prosecutors' office.

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2019-07-30 09:59:00Z
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UK PM Johnson's no-deal Brexit gamble hammers sterling - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - The British pound GBP= tumbled on Tuesday as investors bet Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit brinkmanship with the European Union could trigger a messy divorce that would sow chaos through the world economy and financial markets.

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures during a speech on domestic priorities at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, Britain July 27, 2019. Lorne Campbell/Pool via REUTERS

Sterling crashed through trading barriers, falling to an intraday low of $1.2120 in shallower overnight Asian trade, the lowest since March 2017. The pound has lost 3.6 cents since Johnson was named Britain’s new prime minister a week ago.

Ever since the 2016 EU referendum, the pound has gyrated to the rhetoric of the Brexit divorce: after the result was announced, it had the biggest one-day fall since the era of free-floating exchange rates was introduced in the early 1970s.

Since the 2016 vote, sterling has now lost 28 cents, one of the most significant falls for the currency in recent decades.

“We see more GBP weakness to come,” ING said in a note to clients. “The current sterling meltdown is in line with our view that GBP risks are heavily skewed to the downside given the Brexit uncertainty and rising odds of an early election (our base case).”

Johnson, who was hailed by U.S. President Donald Trump as Britain’s Trump, has promised to strike a new divorce deal with the European Union and to energize the world’s fifth-largest economy after what he casts as the gloom of Theresa May’s premiership.

On entering Downing Street on Wednesday, Johnson set up a showdown with the EU by vowing to negotiate a new deal and threatening that, if the bloc refused, he would take Britain out on Oct. 31 without a deal to limit economic dislocation.

TOUR OF THE UNION

He told reporters in Scotland on Monday that he wanted to get a new deal but that the government had to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.

When asked about his remark during the campaign for the party leadership that the odds on a no-deal Brexit were a million to one, he said: “Provided there is sufficient goodwill and common sense on the part of our partners, that is exactly where I would put the odds.”

Many investors say a no-deal Brexit would send shock waves through the world economy, tip Britain’s economy into a recession, roil financial markets and weaken London’s position as the pre-eminent international financial center.

Supporters of Brexit say that while there would be some short-term difficulties, the disruption of a no-deal Brexit has been overplayed and that in the long-term, the United Kingdom would thrive if it left the European Union.

Johnson’s ascent has placed an avowed Brexiteer in charge of the British government for the first time since the 2016 EU Brexit referendum.

Johnson will tell Welsh farmers on Tuesday they will get a better deal after Brexit, part of a countrywide tour to win support for his “do or die” pledge to leave the European Union by Oct. 31.

“I will always back Britain’s great farmers and as we leave the EU we need to make sure that Brexit works for them,” Johnson said before arriving in Wales.

“Once we leave the EU on the 31st of October, we will have a historic opportunity to introduce new schemes to support farming – and we will make sure that farmers get a better deal. Brexit presents enormous opportunities for our country and it’s time we looked to the future with pride and optimism.”

Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Additional reporting by Andy Bruce, Elizabeth Piper and William James; Editing by Jon Boyle

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-07-30 07:43:00Z
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Deadly Prison Riot in Northern Brazil Result Of Gang Turf War - NPR

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A police officer patrols the surroundings of the Altamira Regional Recovery Centre after at least 52 inmates were killed in a prison riot, in the Brazilian northern city of Altamira, Pará state, on Monday. Bruno Santos/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Bruno Santos/AFP/Getty Images

At least 57 prisoners were killed by fellow inmates during a prison riot in northern Brazil in what authorities have described as a "targeted act" by gang members directed at a rival group.

The riot at Altamira prison began early Monday and lasted throughout the morning, according to authorities. Two prison officials were reportedly taken hostage, but later released after negotiations.

In a statement put out by Pará state, where the prison is located, officials said that the riot was triggered when members of the Comando Class A gang set fire to a cell where rival gang members from Comando Vermelho (Red Command) were kept.

Most of the inmates that died were killed in the fire, officials said, but at least 16 of them were decapitated.

"It was a targeted act," state prison director Jarbas Vasconcelos said in a statement, according to Reuters. "The aim was to show that it was a settling of accounts between two gangs."

Vasconcelos said the fire spread through an old wing of the prison where prisoners were being held while a new building was under construction. According to The Associated Press, Altamira houses more than twice as many inmates as its maximum capacity.

Vasconcelos said the fire prevented police from entering the building for several hours.

As NPR's Philip Reeves reports from Rio De Janeiro, in some penitentiaries, criminal gangs have de facto control, and can easily access weapons; however, in this case, the number of dead is unusually high.

President Jair Bolsonaro was elected last year on a campaign promise to crackdown on crime, including in the country's overcrowded and often violent prisons.

As we reported in May, violent clashes at four prisons in the same general area of Brazil killed 55 people in violence that was also blamed on gangs.

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2019-07-30 07:33:00Z
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Could Boris Johnson’s ‘no-deal’ Brexit crack up the United Kingdom? - The Washington Post

LONDON — In the House of Commons on Boris Johnson’s first day as Britain’s head of government, the loquacious Ian Blackford stood in the chamber and welcomed “the last prime minister of the United Kingdom.”

Blackford, the Scottish National Party’s leader in Parliament, was not being subtle. He was suggesting that with Johnson as prime minister, the United Kingdom might soon crack up, beginning with Scotland.

Scotland voted against independence in 2014, but there is much animosity toward Johnson north of the border, and a palpable dread over leaving the European Union — especially the hard, “no-deal Brexit” that the new prime minister says Britain must prepare for.

In the country’s 2016 Brexit referendum, Scotland voted to remain in the E.U. by a wide margin, 62 percent to 38 percent.

Johnson dashed up to Scotland on Monday, with a scheduled stop at a military base and a speech in the afternoon. 

The new prime minister is a divisive character — loved and very much disliked — across the United Kingdom, a political union comprising four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Or as Johnson called it on the steps of Downing Street last week, “the awesome foursome that are incarnated in that red, white and blue flag,” the Union Jack.

In Scotland, Johnson is expected to praise “the most successful political and economic union in history” and to assure the north that “we are a global brand, and together we are safer, stronger and more prosperous.”

It has become something of a ritual for British leaders to visit each of the nations early on as a way to demonstrate their commitment to the union — and their understanding of the devolved, power-sharing governments, which allow Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to maintain their own parliaments with some power over regional spending and decision-making.

But some are concerned that the “awesome foursome” could get wobbly, especially without an E.U. withdrawal agreement. Johnson says he wants a new better Brexit deal with Europe but has promised to leave the E.U. at the end of October “no ifs, no buts.” The current legal position is that Britain will leave without a deal, something many economists think could hurt the country.

In a rare intervention into domestic British politics, Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, recently warned that a hard Brexit could undermine U.K. unity. 

“One of the things, ironically, that could really undermine the union, the United Kingdom union, is a hard Brexit,” Varadkar said Friday. The leader of the Republic of Ireland, which will remain in the European Union, warned that Northern Ireland could seek to exit the United Kingdom.

“People who you might describe as moderate nationalists or moderate Catholics, who were more or less happy with the status quo, will look more towards a united Ireland,” Varadkar said.

Some in government sounded similar alarm bells. Theresa May’s de facto deputy prime minister, David Lidington, told the BBC earlier this month that the union “would be under much greater strain in the event of a no deal.”

He added: “My view comes not just from Scottish nationalism and pressure for Irish unification — it comes from indifference among English opinion to the value of the union.”

Gordon Brown, a former Labour Party prime minister, said at an event in London last week that Johnson could be remembered “not as the 55th prime minister of the UK but as the first prime minister of England.”

Nationalists in Scotland who want the U.K. to split are hoping that Johnson’s premiership is equivalent to Christmas coming early. Blackford has called Johnson a “recruiting tool” for the cause.

Johnson certainly attracts attention.

Within hours of his winning the Conservative Party leadership race, hundreds of protesters gathered in central Glasgow for an “anti-Boris, pro-independence” rally, some carrying placards that read “Boris No! Independence Yes!” and “Eton mess.”

Gary Kelly, 44, started planning the protest a week before when he said it became clear that Johnson was likely to be selected as Conservative leader by the party’s 160,000 dues-paying members — about 0.25 percent of the British electorate — who largely live in the southern half of England. Johnson bested his rival, drawing 92,153 votes.

“Not exactly a stonewalled mandate, is it? It’s an English vote, an English prime minister,” said Kelly, who predicted that a Johnson government would be a boost for Scottish independence, which he supports. “Boris is a racist, a homophobe. He’s a bigot. He’s not the kind of person Scotland wants representing them.”

A poll last month found that 49 percent of Scots favored independence but that the number would rise to 53 percent in the event Johnson became prime minister. 

It's far from clear whether a Johnson administration could continue to tip the scales in favor of independence, or whether the new prime minister may yet win over Scots with his shiny optimism and numerous public-spending pledges. But a chaotic no-deal Brexit could help the Scottish National Party (SNP) to make its case. 

John Curtice, a politics professor at the University of Strathclyde, said that if a Johnson government leaves the bloc without a deal, “and if it’s as bad as some claim it will be, then obviously it’s easier for the SNP to pursue the independence argument.” 

Since the independence referendum five years ago, support for independence has generally hovered around the mid-40 percent range.

He also added that Johnson — who was the leader of Brexit campaign in 2016 — is deeply unpopular across the United Kingdom with people who voted against Brexit. Of the four nations, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted against Brexit; England and Wales voted for it. 

Johnson has dismissed accusations that he is unpopular in Scotland. When asked about it in Parliament last week, he responded by explaining “why I seem to get a good reception in Scotland.”

“It may be because the people of Scotland recognize that they have a common-sensical Conservative approach, which would not hand back control of their fisheries to Brussels just as Scotland has regained control of its fantastic fish,” he said.

A YouGov survey last week showed that 65 percent of Scots thought that Johnson would be a “poor” or “terrible” prime minister.

Leafing through different regional editions of the same newspaper does seem to suggest that there are varying views on Johnson across the British Isles.

Roy Greenslade, a media commentator, said in an interview with The Washington Post that the news coverage of Johnson has been negative in Scotland, where Johnson’s background — he studied at the elite Eton College before going on to Oxford — does him no favors.

“Boris embodies all that the average working-class Scots person finds disagreeable,” he said. “Eton, Oxford, being a Westminster person — it all conjures up for the Scots English privilege.”

And it’s not just Johnson. Scotland is largely an anti-Conservative part of the world. The Scottish National Party has dominated the landscape for about a decade. For half a century before that, Scotland was a Labour Party stronghold.

But Ruth Davidson, the charismatic leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has helped to transform her party’s fortunes north of the border, winning 13 seats in Parliament in the last election — not an insignificant number for the Tories, who have a paper-thin working majority of just two.

Davidson has been notably lukewarm on Johnson.

“He’s a disaster for her,” said Thomas Lundberg, a lecturer in politics at the University of Glasgow. Johnson, he told The Post, represents the “quintessentially English posh person who has made it through privilege and contacts, rather than merit.”

Davidson is not Johnson’s biggest fan. She reportedly banned him from attending the recent Scottish Tory conference. She backed his rivals in the leadership contest. During the 2016 E.U. referendum, she fired up the pro-E.U. side during a televised debate by saying that Johnson’s side had told a series of lies.

After Johnson became prime minister, Davidson told BBC Scotland, “I’ve been a critic of Boris Johnson when our ideas have differed and when I thought he merited it, and I will continue to be so.”

But now that he is leader, she said, she would judge him “by his actions in office.”

Read more

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2019-07-29 12:35:53Z
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Italian officer allegedly killed by American teens was stabbed with knife brought from US, say police - CNN

General Francesco Gargaro, of the Provincial Carabinieri Command, said the weapon was brought to the country by the 19-year-old suspect, Finnegan Lee Elder.

Gargaro added that some of the wounds sustained by the fallen officer, Mario Cerciello Rega, were "very big, 17 centimeters (7 inches) deep, the length of the blade."

Rega was killed Friday in Rome shortly after returning to work from his honeymoon. The 35-year-old was attempting to recover a backpack allegedly stolen by Elder and Gabriel Natale Hjorth, 18, after a botched drug deal, say officers. Police said that Elder confessed in the early hours of the interrogation on Friday to murder.

Meanwhile, Rega's funeral was being held in his hometown of Somma Vesuviana, near Naples, on Monday. His casket was draped with the Italian flag as it was carried into the same church where he was married less than two months ago.

Deputy Italian Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has called for life-long prison sentences for the accused teens, attended the service.

The officer's death has gripped Italy -- the story is leading many of its newspaper headlines -- and hundreds of people gathered outside the church to pay their respects.

Botched deal

The incident unfolded after the two US citizens approached a man about buying drugs, according to police. After being sold crushed aspirin instead of cocaine, officers allege that the Americans stole a backpack off the man.

The teenagers subsequently answered the owner's cellphone, which they had also taken, and told him "they would not return the backpack without 100 euros ($111) and 1 gram of cocaine," police added.

The owner of the stolen bag then contacted the police and two unarmed plainclothes officers met the American suspects under the guise of retrieving it, police said.

Both Americans are accused of assaulting the policemen, who reportedly identified themselves as law enforcement officers during the meeting early on Friday morning. Elder is accused of stabbing Rega 11 times before fleeing the scene.

The two Americans were arrested Friday evening inside their hotel room, close to the scene of the stabbing. They are accused of aggravated murder and attempted extortion, police said.

At the hotel room, police said they found the weapon hidden in a ceiling panel as well as the clothes worn during the crime.

Elder recognized the knife police say is the murder weapon "as his own," according to court documents seen by CNN.

'Contrasting' statements

The two suspects have turned on each other, according to those documents. The teenagers accuse each other "reciprocally" and their stories are "absolutely in contrast" with one another, the documents said.

They also add that Hjorth's testimony is closer to the police's version of events. Elder is accused of the stabbing, though both are being held on suspicion of murder.

Over the weekend, the police alleged that both Americans confessed to taking part in the assault, and say Elder confessed in the early hours of the interrogation on Friday to murder.

Elder's appointed public prosecutor, Francesco Codini, said that during his court appearance Saturday his client "maintained his right to remain silent" in front of a judge.

Elder's family said in a statement that they haven't been able to have any communication with their son and appealed to the public to respect their privacy. "We are working with the US State Department, but they have not been granted access to Finn," it added.

The family plans on going to Rome as soon as the State Department says they can see Finnegan.

"We are also aware of the funeral plans for Officer Rega, and wish to be respectful of his family and friends at this devastating time," the statement added.

Elder's father, Ethan Elder, spoke briefly with CNN outside his San Francisco home Sunday and called his son's case a "precarious situation." Ethan Elder says he wants people to know his son is "a good man."

Italian police can legally hold suspects for an entire year without official charges.

Suspect blindfolded

The arrests have also raised questions over a leaked photo that appears to show one of the American suspects blindfolded at a police station in Rome. The photograph was leaked to the respected Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Suspect Hjorth's lawyer, Emiliano Sisini, confirmed to CNN that his client was the blindfolded suspect in the picture. He does not know how long Hjorth was blindfolded for, but said the incident took place before his interrogation.

Italian police have confirmed the authenticity of the photo, and told CNN that a two-pronged investigation has been launched into why the suspect was blindfolded and who leaked the photo to the press.

"The general command of the Carabinieri police strongly distances itself from the photo and the distribution of the photo of the people detained for the homicide of the Officer Mario Cerciello Rega. The provincial Carabinieri command of Rome is quickly carrying out investigations to locate who is responsible," police said in a statement Sunday.

Salvini commented on the blindfold photo Sunday, saying in a statement: "To those complaining about the blindfolding of the arrested, remember that the only victim to cry for is the man, the son, the husband who is 35 years old, a Carabinieri officer, a servant of the homeland who died in service at the hands of the people who, if guilty, deserve only life imprisonment."

The day before, Salvini had called for life-long prison sentences for the accused teens, despite them not having been put on trial.

"Hoping that the murderers of our poor policeman will never get out of prison, I remind the do-gooders that in the United States whoever kills risks the death penalty. I'm not saying we should go that far, but life in prison (obviously working), this, yes!" Salvini wrote in a message on Twitter on Saturday.

CNN's Sebastian Shukla, Barbie Latza Nadeau, Karen Smith and Sarah Dean contributed to this report.

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2019-07-29 12:10:00Z
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China accuses Hong Kong protesters of committing 'evil and criminal acts' - CNN

At a press conference in Beijing on Monday, Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office spokesman Yang Guang called the situation in Hong Kong "grave," adding that Beijing would not allow any challenge to the Chinese government's authority or threats to national security.

"No civilization or society under the rule of law would ever allow acts of violence to take place. We call on the general public of Hong Kong to be aware of the grave nature of the current situation," Yang said, calling on Hong Kong citizens to condemn protester violence.

"Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong. Hong Kong's affairs are China's domestic affairs," he added. Hong Kong has been governed under a "one country, two systems" model since the city transferred from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

It was the first time China's top Hong Kong policy office had given a briefing on the mass demonstrations that began in early June in opposition to a controversial -- and now-shelved -- bill that would have allowed extradition from the city to mainland China.

Yang also used the event as an opportunity to reaffirm China's strong support for Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and the city's police force, which has been the target of many protesters' ire for deploying what they believe to be heavy-handed tactics.

Jimmy Shum, of the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organized many official protests in recent weeks, called the press conference "disappointing":

"As an agency with the power to dismiss Carrie Lam, it did not call for her to step down. So the press conference wasted Hong Kong people 40 minutes of their time," Shum said.

Eight weeks of unrest

Mass protests have now been happening in Hong Kong, a major global financial hub, for eight consecutive weeks.

Protesters' demands over that period have broadened to encompass issues such as greater democracy for the city, an inquiry into alleged police brutality and the resignation of Lam.

The demonstrations have also steadily escalated in terms of violence and rhetoric.

On July 1, protesters trashed the Hong Kong Legislative Council offices, the city's seat of government. On July 21, an armed mob at Yuen Long train station, in the north of the city, attacked people in a subway station, many of whom were protesters returning from a march police had broken up in the central Hong Kong. The mob was wearing white, while most of the demonstrators were clad in black, the color of the protest movement.

Last Saturday, protesters staged a march in the small town of Yuen Long, near Hong Kong's border with China, where they clashed with riot police. On Sunday night, much of downtown came to a standstill after riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who had defied a police ban to march through the city.

Beijing has previously denounced the protesters in state media, including their decision to target the Chinese government's headquarters in the city on July 21. State-run news agency Xinhua called the demonstrators "radical protesters" and said their actions were an "open challenge to the central government's authority."

"If this can be tolerated, what can not?" Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily said in an editorial.

At a Ministry of Defense briefing last week, spokesperson Wu Qian said the Chinese military was watching the situation in Hong Kong closely.

When asked if the Chinese military would intervene, Wu referenced a law that allows the Hong Kong government to request assistance to maintain public order from Beijing's military garrison in the city -- a point Yang repeated at Monday's press conference when asked by CNN.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/29/asia/china-hong-kong-protests-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-07-29 11:04:00Z
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