Police cite three men after anti-drug priest Don Coluccia faces threats during Rome march

Confrontation during legality march

At approximately 23:00 on Saturday, 3 October 2026, Catholic priest Don Antonio Coluccia was walking through the Quarticciolo neighbourhood on Rome's eastern outskirts during an anti-drug walk. Coluccia, who lives under continuous police protection, was accompanied on the march by Andrea Stroppa, the representative in Italy for Elon Musk. A crowd of about ten individuals approached and surrounded the priest. The group hurled verbal insults and direct threats at him in both Italian and Arabic. Carabinieri officers conducting patrols in the district intervened, securing the scene, identifying three Tunisian nationals, and charging them with aggravated threats while working to identify the remaining individuals involved.

Background of protection and past attacks

Before taking holy orders, Coluccia worked in a shoe manufacturing plant and participated in humanitarian missions across the Balkans. In 2012, he converted a residential villa confiscated from organised crime in Rome into a community shelter for vulnerable people. Italian authorities placed him under permanent police escort in 2014 following threats stemming from his public campaigning against narcotics networks in districts including San Basilio, Quarticciolo, and Tor Bella Monaca, where he frequently leads street gatherings with a megaphone.

Coluccia has encountered repeated physical hostility during his neighbourhood walks. In August 2023, a rider on a motor scooter attempted to run him down in Tor Bella Monaca, injuring a police escort officer who moved to shield the priest. In September 2024, assailants threw glass bottles, stones, and wooden sticks from windows during a march, shouting that his hours were numbered and calling him an informant before officers evacuated him. The following day, a television news crew from Tgr Lazio was surrounded and targeted with thrown bottles while reporting on the incident.

Police operations and institutional response

The confrontation followed law enforcement operations in Quarticciolo. Earlier that day, Carabinieri executed a district-wide sweep that led to 11 arrests, the confiscation of 1,000 doses of crack, cocaine, and hashish, and the seizure of roughly €2,000 in suspected narcotics proceeds.

Political leaders across Rome and national government issued statements condemning the threats. Deputy Prime Minister and Lega leader Matteo Salvini described the confrontation as unacceptable.

Intimidations vergogno-se e inaccettabili contro un prete coraggioso, da anni in prima linea contro droga e criminalità.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the threats could not deter those defending vulnerable residents, while Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida stated that the Italian state would not step back. Chamber of Deputies President Lorenzo Fontana condemned the intimidation, and Chamber Vice President Fabio Rampelli called Coluccia a defender against drug dealing, prostitution, and youth recruitment by criminal syndicates. Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri thanked the priest for his daily efforts.

Roma sostiene il suo impegno ed è al fianco delle donne e degli uomini delle forze dell'ordine che lavorano per la legalità.