"Messi, Waiting for You"... 14 Shots Fired at Family Shop

Intruders Terrorize Artisan-Owned Mart
Police: "An Attempt to Attract Attention"

A gunman opened fire and fled from an Argentine supermarket operated by the family of world-renowned soccer star Lionel Messi (36, Paris Saint-Germain).

According to Argentine daily Clar?n and other sources on the 2nd (local time), the incident occurred around 3 a.m. in Rosario City, Santa Fe Province, Messi's hometown.

Lionel Messi

The gunmen fired at least 14 shots at the supermarket owned by Messi's father-in-law, breaking windows before escaping on a motorcycle.

Before opening fire, the assailants left a note. The note read, "Messi, we are waiting for you, Habkin is a drug addict, he will not look after you." The "Habkin" mentioned in the note refers to Pablo Habkin, the mayor of Rosario. This is interpreted as a threatening message implying that it would not be safe to remain in this city.

Mayor Habkin told local media that the supermarket owner is the father of Antonella Roccuso. Roccuso is Messi's wife.

Lionel Messi (Argentina), who won the championship in the final match against France at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, is sharing his joy with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo at Lusail Stadium on December 19 last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Since the incident occurred early before the supermarket opened, fortunately, there were no casualties reported. The reason why the gunmen targeted the supermarket owned by Messi's father-in-law has not yet been revealed.

The police stated that the attack "appears to be an attempt to attract attention rather than a threat against Messi or his family." Federico Lebla, the prosecutor in charge of the case, told local reporters, "There have been no prior threats against the Roccuso family," and explained that the police are securing nearby CCTV footage to track down the suspects.

Celia Arena, the Santa Fe Province Minister of Justice, said, "It seems to be an intentionally committed incident aimed at instilling fear in people, keeping in mind that it would attract worldwide attention."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.