Four undocumented migrants have been accused of threatening and forcing an elderly Slovenian man to hand over his car, which they locked him in and headed towards Italy. Three of the four have been arrested.
Four undocumented migrants originally from North Africa allegedly forced a 79-year-old Slovenian national to hand over his car near the Slovenian town of Mali Nerajec. They then locked him in the trunk and headed towards Italy, trying to enter illegally. They were stopped Italian police on a side road, who handed them over to their Slovenian counterparts.
Moroccan and two Algerians arrested
The incident began Wednesday in Mali Nerajec, southern Slovenia, where the migrants took control of the car of the elderly man, who had been working in a vineyard. Having reached the Italian-Slovenian border in the late evening, the foreign nationals abandoned the man before crossing the border and continued onto less frequently used roads before getting stopped in the area near the Fernetti crossing in Italian territory. Italian border police reportedly identified them and handed them over to Slovenian police. A 25-year-old Moroccan and two 18-year-old Algerians are the three arrested. A fourth person is currently being sought by Slovenian authorities, Ljubljana media report. The three arrested have been charged with kidnapping and theft.
The story of the incident
The three, Slovenian police said in a press conference, had targeted the 79-year-old man as he was tending his vineyard in a small town in southern Slovenia near Novo Mesto. At first, they seemed to have asked him for water and then threatened him with a knife, forcing him to enter the trunk and then fleeing towards the Italian-Slovenian border. Prior to arriving at the border and after hours of traveling, they abandoned the stolen car near the small town of Lokev with the elderly man inside.
The man, who was not injured, managed to get out of the trunk by himself, ask for help, and call the police. On the other side of the border, the Italian police stopped the migrants and handed them over to their Slovenian counterparts after being alerted by the Slovenian police. In the area of Basovizza, the Italian police had managed ti identify and arrest the three for illegal entry and carrying a knife. On the basis of a readmission agreement between Slovenia and Italy, the three were handed over to Slovenian authorities. They face a possible sentence of between 6 months and 10 years in jail for kidnapping and theft.