BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A gunman left a threatening message to Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi on Thursday, police said, citing his step-parents in Argentina’s third-largest city. Fired up the supermarket.
No one was injured in the early morning attack, but it was unclear why the attackers targeted the Unico supermarket in Rosario, which is owned by the family of Messi and his wife Antonella Rocuzzo.
Mayor Pablo Jabuquin has lashed out at federal authorities for failing to curb a surge in drug-related violence in Rosario, about 300 kilometers northwest of the capital, Buenos Aires.
According to police, two men on motorcycles fired at least 10 shots at Unico’s branch in the early morning, writing on a cardboard that read, “Messi, we are waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker. I will not take care of the
Messi, captain of the national team that won last year’s Argentina World Cup for the first time in 36 years, has not commented. Messi currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and spends a lot of his time abroad, but is a frequent visitor to Rosario, where he has a house on the outskirts of Funes.
Jabkin, a center-left politician opposed to the ruling Peronist Coalition, appeared to cast suspicions of complicity in attacks against both criminal gangs and federal security officials.
In an interview with a local radio station, Jabkin said, “Everyone is suspicious, even those who are supposed to protect us.
He said the supermarket is located in the Rosario section, where crime is frequently seen, and that he has raised the issue in recent meetings with federal and state law enforcement officials and no action has been taken.
“Where’s the one who needs to take care of us?” Jabkin said. “It’s very easy for any gang to do something like this, as it’s clear that anyone who has a weapon and could possibly investigate criminals is not doing so.”