U.S. Cruise Passenger Detained in Italy After Gun Found in Backpack

A 77-year-old U.S. citizen traveling from Tennessee to Venice was charged in Ravenna, Italy, after security at the Porto Corsini Cruise Terminal found a firearm in his luggage.

According to news reports, the man was getting ready to board a cruise ship to Croatia, which was scheduled to leave later in Civitavecchia, Italy. The firearm found was a 6.35mm Browning semi-automatic pistol.  It was detected during routine X-ray screening at the terminal.

The man claimed he had a valid U.S. gun license and that he forgot the firearm was still in his backpack.  Italian police seized the weapon, charged him with illegal firearm possession, and issued a deportation order.

Specific details of the exact cruise ship name were not provided in the initial report, and public cruise schedules from Civitavecchia show that many vessels operate on routes to the Adriatic including Croatia.

This story might remind readers of a similar incident just last March where a 73-year-old U.S. tourist was arrested at the Kobe Cruise Terminal in Japan for carrying a handgun.   In this case the weapon was detected after airport screenings had failed to flag it.  Charges were filed, but prosecutors later dropped them.