Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
SYRACUSE – A coordinated operation against the theft of ferrous material along the province’s rail network has led to the arrest of a 47-year-old Tunisian man. The operation was carried out overnight by officers from the Syracuse Railway Police, who were conducting targeted observation and surveillance along the railway line between Syracuse and Santa Teresa Longarini.
The man faces charges of aggravated theft and disruption of a public service. The operation followed a series of repeated incidents in recent weeks that had caused serious delays to train services, disruption for commuters and substantial financial damage to Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).
The night stakeout and the raid through the undergrowth
The counter-strategy, developed by the Railway Police in close cooperation with RFI and with support from FS Security and Risk staff, involved stepped-up surveillance and passive defence of the most vulnerable points.
Under the direction of the Railway Police Regional Operational Centre for Sicily, officers lying in wait in the dark spotted the 47-year-old entering the railway land through a gap near a level crossing. Exploiting the poor visibility and thick vegetation, the man had already begun cutting and removing copper cables from the infrastructure. The prompt intervention of the police halted the criminal act and stopped the man after a brief attempt to flee.
Previous convictions, prison in Cavadonna and deportation proceedings begun
Taken to police offices for the usual checks, the results revealed that the man – of no fixed address and not in compliance with Italian residency rules – already had numerous previous convictions for property offences.
On the orders of the competent judicial authority, the arrested man was transferred to Syracuse Prison – Cavadonna. At the same time, the Railway Police submitted a request for his deportation from Italy to the Immigration Office at Police Headquarters.
In accordance with constitutional principles and the presumption of innocence, the suspect’s position will be examined by the competent judicial authorities and determined only in the event of a final conviction.
