Gunmen threaten Messi at in-laws' grocery store in Argentina
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Gunmen fired at least a dozen shots at the Argentinian soccer star's in-law's store and left him a threatening message.
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A police officer stands guard outside the supermarket that belongs to the family of Antonela Roccuzzo, wife of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi. March 2, 2023 (Reuters)
At least two gunmen on a motorcycle shot at a Unico Supermarket, owned by Lionel Messi's inlaws in Rosario, Argentina on Thursday morning.
Police stated that the gunmen fired at least a dozen shots at the entrance of the store while neither Messi nor his wife Antonella Roccuzzo were present.
“Nothing like this had ever happened before. I was watching television when I heard [the gunshots at around 3 a.m.]. We all heard them. All the neighbors on the block went outside to see what had happened,” a witness said.
The gunmen left a threatening message on cardboard to the soccer star which read: "Messi, we're waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won't take care of you.", referring to the mayor of the city, Pablo Javkin.
Javkin blamed rising drug-related crimes in the city for the attack and asked the federal security forces to tackle the city's crime issues.
"It is very clear that it is easy to harm Rosario and that there is no concrete help. I am the mayor of the city. I do not manage the security forces, and when I asked [to do it], they did not let me.”, Javkin commented on the attack.
It is believed that the attack was made in an attempt to extort money out of Messi's family.
Argentina’s Security Minister, Aníbal Fernández, told reporters that "the drug traffickers won” and the incident is a byproduct of what's happened for the last 20 years.
Neither the seven-time Ballon D'or winner nor his wife commented on the incident.
