Suspects under investigation for pepper spray attack that led to death of six people in venue near Ancona last year

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Italian police have arrested six men on manslaughter charges for allegedly using pepper spray to carry out thefts at a concert for teenagers, triggering a stampede that killed six people at a venue near the Adriatic coastal city of Ancona last year.

The tragedy last December killed five teenagers, ranging in age from 14 to 16, along with a 39-year-old woman accompanying her daughter to a concert by a popular Italian rapper, Sfera Ebbasta.

It was the second deadly incident involving thieves using pepper spray in Italy, following a 2017 stampede that killed two in Turin at an open-air screening of the Champions League football final.

The six suspects are under investigation for manslaughter and for causing injury to 197 others. The men, along with a seventh gang member, are also being investigated for association with the intent to carry out robberies.

Survivors said panic spread in the club in Corinaldo, after the pepper spray was unleashed.

In the Turin stampede, four defendants were sentenced to just over 10 years in jail on manslaughter convictions. Two women were killed and more than 1,600 injured when the four used pepper spray to create a diversion to rob fans in Turin’s Piazza San Carlo to watch Juventus play Real Madrid on a big screen.