Five arrested after mob of 600 lynch Italian man in Honduras

Security officials believe the Italian national was lynched in a revenge killing for allegedly beating a homeless man to death

Honduran police officers detain a man on suspicion for his role in killing Giorgio Scanu, 65, who was lynched by a mob of more than 600 villagers in revenge for allegedly murdering a homeless man (REUTERS)

Five people have been arrested in connection with the killing of an Italian man who was lynched by a mob of 600 villagers for allegedly murdering a homeless man in a rural Honduran village.

On Thursday, Italian national Giorgio Scanu was attacked with sticks, stones and machetes at his home in the village of Santa Ana de Yusguare, in Honduras’s southern department of Choluteca, 80 km south of Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital.

Police reports based on complaints from local residents allege that the 65-year-old Italian man beat Juan de Dios Flores, a 78-year-old homeless man, to death for damaging ornamental plants in his garden earlier this week.

Rebeca Martinez, a spokeswoman for the Honduran security ministry said: “More than 600 angry residents entered the residence and used sticks, stones and machetes to kill the Italian accused of having killed Mr Juan de Dios Flores.

She added that parts of Scanu’s home and vehicle had been set on fire.

According to security officials, five people between the ages of 19 and 55 have been arrested for Scanu’s murder, including a retired engineer who lived in the village.

Ms Martinez added that police were present when the mob stormed Scanu’s residence, but were unable to safely intervene due to the large number of people involved.

Authorities continue to search for others involved in Scanu’s lynching.