Italy vows to track down, punish Colosseum vandal

Italy's culture minister is calling for a man to be "identified and sanctioned" after he was filmed allegedly carving his and his fiancée's names into the Colosseum in Rome.

Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted: "I consider it very serious, unworthy and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, a historical heritage (site) such as the Colosseum, to carve the name of his fiancée."

"I hope that whoever carried out this act will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws," he continued.

The minister's tweet included a blurred image of the young tourist, as well as a video that appeared to show him using keys to carve letters into one of the walls of the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheater.

The inscription read "Ivan+Haley 23," according to Italian news agency ANSA.

The alleged incident took place on Friday, and police were alerted by videos appearing on social media, ANSA reported.

If convicted of a crime, the man could face a fine of at least €15,000 ($24,00) or up to five years in prison.

A similar incident occurred in 2020, when an Irish tourist was accused of vandalising the Colosseum, after security staff spotted him allegedly carving his initials into the ancient structure and reported him to the police.

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