Police examine security response after Antonello da Messina paintings stolen in Sicily

Sledgehammer break-in on Ferragosto

During the evening of 15 August (Ferragosto), thieves targeted the regional museum of Messina, known as MuMe or Accascina, in Sicily. Two men with their faces hidden by full-face helmets entered the exhibition halls and reached the display case protecting the works of 15th-century Sicilian Renaissance master Antonello da Messina. The intruders smashed the protective structure with sledgehammer strikes and removed six panel paintings from the museum in approximately three minutes. Four security personnel were on duty at the facility when the intrusion occurred, and the internal alarm system sounded during the break-in.

Discovery on the Annunziata pavement

Shortly after the robbery, local resident and teacher Elisabetta Bonfato was walking in the lower Annunziata area next to the museum alongside her daughter, who is a student. The two noticed two large paintings left unattended on the low boundary wall and pavement before the roundabout. Bonfato, who had visited the Accascina museum multiple times, recognized the works immediately as Antonello da Messina originals and confirmed the identification with her daughter. At 21:02, Bonfato recorded photographs of the panels on the pavement and dialed the 112 emergency line.

I am at the lower Annunziata before the roundabout, next to the museum there are two paintings in the middle of the street as if someone had stolen them and put them here, but they are paintings from the museum, they are worth a lot of money.

Responding police officers sent a patrol vehicle immediately to the Annunziata location. Bonfato noted that the surroundings were dark, with no passersby present and no visible activity inside the museum. Arriving officers spent roughly twenty minutes attempting to contact museum staff before one custodian came outside, while a second custodian remained behind a metal palisade.

Status of the Renaissance panels

The two recovered panels were secured by authorities, while four of the six Antonello da Messina works taken during the raid remain missing. Investigators discovered physical traces left behind by the perpetrators at the crime scene. The choice to leave two valuable 15th-century panels exposed on a public street, along with the physical evidence collected, led investigators to assess that the operation was likely carried out by non-professionals.

Mobile Squad inquiry and security scrutiny

The criminal investigation is directed by Simone Scalzo, head of the Messina police Mobile Squad (Squadra Mobile). Detectives are analyzing footage from surveillance cameras situated around the museum and across surrounding districts to map the escape route. Scalzo stated that investigators are pursuing multiple avenues, with no hypothesis excluded, including local Sicilian criminal networks, groups originating from abroad, or potential ties to the mafia. Investigators are also examining the actions of the on-duty security staff, focusing on why custodians turned off the alarm after it sounded and determining whether the response stemmed from negligence or inside assistance.

I hope that the stolen pieces are found as soon as possible, for Messina and for all of humanity.