Moroccan man pretends to be undercover officer to evade arrest in Italy

A 43-year-old Moroccan man pretended to be an undercover carabiniere when approached by police. In a failed attempt to avoid arrest, T.L., a Moroccan residing in Poggiomarino, a comune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, told the Carabinieri of the Torre Annunziata radiomobile section that they couldn't arrest him because he was one of them.

According to local media, the man in question had allegedly stolen phones from a center in Poggiomarino. CCTV footage captured him red-handed. The shopkeeper followed the GPS location of one of the stolen devices, and when he tracked down the Moroccan, the suspect threatened him with a knife. Shortly after, the Carabinieri arrived.

When confronted with the video evidence, the man claimed to be an external collaborator for the Carabinieri and insisted he was an undercover agent in the «homicide section».

However, police recognized the 43-year-old, who was already known to them.