Buenos Aires, Argentina –
In a message left by Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi when he opened fire at a supermarket owned by his parents-in-law in Argentina on Thursday, the shooter threatened, police said.
No one was injured in the early morning attack, but it was unclear why the attackers targeted Unico, a supermarket in Rosario, the country’s third-largest city, run by the family of Messi and his wife Antonella Rocuzzo.
Mayor Pablo Jabuquin went to a supermarket to blame federal officials for failing to curb a spike in drug-related violence in Rosario, about 190 miles (300 km) northwest of the capital, Buenos Aires. .
According to police, two men on motorbikes opened fire on Unico’s branch in the early hours with a cardboard message reading, “Messi, we are waiting for you. Jabkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won.” I left a message. don’t take care of you “
Messi has not commented. Considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, Messi is revered in Argentina, especially since he led his national team to his first World Cup win in 36 years in Qatar in December. I’m here.
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. The French team posted pictures of Messi training on his social media on Thursday morning.
In Rosario, prosecutor Federico Revola said authorities were reviewing CCTV footage and that the investigation was “preliminary”. He added that it was the first time Messi’s parents-in-law had received threats of this kind.
Santa Fe State Justice Minister Celia Arena, where Rosario is located, said the attack amounted to “terrorism” by a “mafia” group and was intended to intimidate the wider population.
In a social media post, Arena said, “The purpose is to deliberately provoke terrorism in people and to discourage us from fighting criminal violence. We know it will be an event of global significance. I’m here.
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.
“Everyone is suspicious, even those who are supposed to protect us,” Jabkin said in an interview with a local radio station.
He said he recently had “very strong discussions” over the past few weeks with members of the federal security forces to demand that the city crack down on crime.
“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 because it’s clear that someone with a weapon and who might be able to investigate criminals isn’t doing it.”
Federal Security Minister Anibal Fernandez said drug-related violence was not a recent phenomenon in the city and that Thursday’s attacks were typical of what had happened “in the last 20 years”.
He said the case was an example of how drug traffickers “won” in Rosario, but now “we have to reverse it.”
Opposition politicians have blamed the government of President Alberto Fernandez for the ongoing violence in Rosario. His predecessor, Mauricio Macri, characterized the event as a warning that the country cannot “coexist” with drug traffickers.
Messi, 35, is currently renegotiating his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, fueling speculation that the football superstar may decide to play for one of his local Rosario clubs, Newell’s. Among them, it will end this year.
Messi, who won FIFA’s best male player award this week, could travel to Argentina later this month to join the national team and play two friendly matches, one against Panama in Buenos Aires on March 23. and another five days later in Santiago del Estero in the north against Curacao.
