Italian police arrest U.S. students in connection with policeman murder

Italian military police Carabinieri has arrested two U.S. students in connection with the killing of a policeman in central Rome, they said on Saturday. The students are being held for the alleged murder and attempted extortion, according to a statement.

Judicial sources have named the students as Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth, both from San Francisco. Their lawyers could not be immediately reached. Mario Cerciello Rega, a 35-year-old officer with the Carabinieri, was repeatedly stabbed early on Friday after trying to arrest two people suspected of stealing a bag from a man in a popular tourist district. Another officer was injured in the incident.

Initial media reports suggested the assailants were from North Africa. Police murders are rare in Italy and politicians of all parties expressed their horror and outrage.

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