A Senegal-born driver is currently in police custody in Italy after he set the school bus he drives on fire with students inside it.
He is said to have tied their hands and lock them in before lighting up the bus.
The 47-year-old driver, Ousseynou Sy, claimed that he carried out the act because he wanted to avenge the deaths of many African migrants who had perished in the Mediterranean ocean over the years just because they were trying to come into Europe.
The incident occurred while Ousseynou was conveying the students from the school where he worked, to an event. He allegedly began to threaten the young children onboard with a knife in his hand. Then, he tied their hands to make sure that none of them leaves the vehicle.
The incident which lasted for about 40 minutes, became known to the public from the point where the driver began to ram into vehicles along the road. Eventually, he was stopped with the help of a police roadblock. As soon as he got there, he lit up the bus, shouting, “No one will survive.”
According to a police spokesperson, “He shouted ‘Stop the deaths at sea, I’ll carry out a massacre.”
Luckily, the police officers at the roadblock were able to forcefully gain entry into the bus to save the kids.
As the incident went down, the children could be seen shouting and crying as they got down from the vehicle. Unfortunately, about twelve of them had to be rushed to the hospital after suffering from shock, smoke inhalation, and bruises.
Police succeeded in smashing the windows of the vehicle to allow the children to escape.
While speaking with newsmen, one of the school children explained how he threatened to douse them with petrol and burn them alive.
He said, “He handcuffed us and threatened us. He said that if we moved he would pour out the petrol and set fire to it.
“He kept saying that people in Africa are dying and the fault is Di Maio and Salvini’s.”
Another 12-year-old student mentioned that the driver said three of his children had died on their way to Italy from Africa, so they deserved to die too.
The driver will most likely face charges such as attempted murder and kidnapping.
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