Deadly Attack on Pistoia Basket Supporters’ Bus Stuns Italy
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In a shocking and rare act of violence in European basketball, a bus carrying fans of Pistoia Basket was ambushed on Italy’s Rieti–Terni highway Sunday evening, killing one of its drivers. The attack came shortly after a Serie A2 game against RSR Sebastiani Rieti, stunning the sports community and authorities alike.
Eyewitnesses reported that attackers hurled bricks and stones at the bus near the Contigliano exit. One brick smashed the windshield and fatally struck the second driver, who was seated next to the main driver. Fans described a sudden, terrifying scene. “We were completely shocked — it happened so fast,” said a member of the Pistoia fan group Baraonda Rossa
Authorities say the assault appears to have been deliberate, with attackers reportedly lying in wait along the bus’s return route. Several Rieti supporters have already been questioned as police continue a high-priority investigation.
The fan groups had clashed earlier inside the arena, but such extreme violence on a fan bus is exceptionally rare in European basketball, making the incident particularly alarming.
Both clubs and regional officials condemned the attack. Pistoia Basket 2000 called it “a deeply dismaying tragedy,” while Sports Minister Andrea Abodi labeled it “shocking and unacceptable.” Tuscany’s President Eugenio Giani emphasized the act’s criminal nature, calling for swift justice.
