His gesture is unanimously hailed by Veneto and, more broadly, Italy.
Giuseppe Mazzone, a 35-year-old Venetian bus driver, allowed the arrest of a man, armed with a knife, who “
revoked Allah three times
”, reports
Il Gazzettino
.
“
We were at the station, and I saw the passengers getting off little by little.
So I understood why: this man, a middle-aged foreigner, was standing there with this knife in plain view
,” the driver told the Italian press.
“
He remained motionless with this dagger in his hands.
He was looking out of the window repeating incomprehensible phrases
,” he adds.
Mazzone, keeping his cool, calls the operations center for the first time but fails to make himself understood.
The man armed with the knife “
kept staring at [him]
.
“
I was afraid that he would hurt someone
”, explains the driver who continues on his way and calls for help, using a coded phrase: “
Aunt, I'm here, the bus has problems
”.
The police understand the message and advise him to stop the bus by simulating a breakdown.
Giuseppe Mazzonne advises the last two passengers to get off.
“
At that time, 7 p.m., this neighborhood is usually full of people.
When we got out, I counted the seconds, I couldn't wait for the police to arrive
, ”says the driver.
A few minutes later, three police cars and six police officers arrive at the scene.
They ask the man to drop his knife and kneel down, but he refuses to comply.
He is immediately "
neutralized
" using a Taser.
Mazzone's attitude has been hailed by his leadership as well as by the political class.
“
I did what I had to do, nothing more
,” concludes the bus driver.
