A pair of Tunisian migrants are under investigation by Italian authorities for animal cruelty after allegedly slaughtering sheep in a parking lot.

The pair slaughtered two sheep in the village of Bentivoglio in Bologna as part of the annual Islamic festival of sacrifice Eid al-Adha but were observed by a local security guard who called the police following the incident, newspaper Il Giornale reports.

According to local media, the two men used the parking lot of a local business where trucks unload goods that was closed for holidays, allegedly so they would not be discovered.

Shortly after the report from the security guard, the Carabinieri arrived and notified the pair that the slaughter of animals without stunning them first was a crime.

In the past several days, police across Italy have discovered a number of cases relating to animal slaughter for the Islamic holiday including another in Bologna where two Moroccans were caught hiding a pair of sheep in their vehicle.

Neither one of the migrants had documentation and both received notifications for animal abuse.

Italian Populist League to Introduce Ban on Halal Slaughter https://t.co/jXsNFcNdD7 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 4, 2018

In Florence, five people were targetted by Carabinieri after being accused of secretly slaughtering sheep and goats on a farm. The officers also seized several goats and sheep that were present to stop them from being slaughtered illegally.

Populist interior minister Matteo Salvini has been outspoken on his opposition to ritual halal slaughter, stating last year that he wanted to end loopholes that allowed Muslims and others to have exemptions from stunning animals before they are slaughtered.

Last year in France, a similar case saw 32 sheep rescued from a pizzeria in the suburbs of Paris during the Eid al-Adha festival. An animal rights association tipped officers off to five more sheep located at three separate addresses in the area.

Khan’s London: Muslims Caught Butchering Animals in Backyard for Eid https://t.co/SAfbuEIgbZ — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 25, 2018