A case of mistaken identity during a police operation in Trieste nearly turned into a diplomatic incident, Italian media report. Italian police mistakenly stopped Nikola Paunović, suspecting him to be a dangerous fugitive, but it turned out he was actually the Serbian consul in Trieste.
The resemblance between the two men was the main cause of the incident. According to the site Telefriuli, the incident occurred on January 6, ahead of Serbian Orthodox Christmas.
“Everything happened in front of the Church of the Holy Trinity, where celebrations for the upcoming holiday were being held. State police officers, coordinated by Interpol, were stationed outside the building waiting for the service to end. A dangerous Serbian fugitive, wanted across Europe, had been reported in Trieste during the holidays. Reports indicated he would be present at the mass,” the media outlet reported.
The police were waiting outside, they added.
“As soon as he came out, they immediately stopped a person for verification who, unfortunately, bore a striking resemblance in facial features and other details to the person in the photograph. However, that person was actually Nikola Paunović, the acting Serbian consul in Trieste,” they said.
Paunović, the media report, immediately identified himself, showing his diplomatic badge.
“Immediate verification of the documents confirmed the consul’s true identity, and the case was closed with an official apology to the diplomatic official,” Italian media reported.
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Source: Novosti; Foto: Printscreen Facebook