San Marino, Italy – An Italian cyclist is facing backlash for killing his neighbor’s cat with an air rifle. The 21-year-old professional cyclist, Antonio Tiberi, admitted to killing Federico Pedini Amati’s cat, explaining that he pointed the gun at the cat’s head and pulled the trigger.
The cat belonged to Amati, who is San Marino’s tourism and posts minister. The distraught man told an Italian newspaper, “The cat didn’t bother anyone. It had been with us for a long time. My 3-year-old daughter, Lucia, loved it. You cannot kill a pet and get away with a 4,000-euro fine.”
Tiberi rides for Trek-Segafredo, which released a statement about the cruel incident:
On February 28, the disgraced cyclist Tweeted an apology:
I deeply regret my shamful (sic) actions. I did something tremendously stupid and irresponsible. I really want to apologize everyone
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