Italian police briefly stopped Serbia’s consul in Trieste on Jan. 6 after mistakenly believing he was a fugitive on an Interpol wanted list, local media reported.
Nikola Paunović, the Serbian consul, was halted outside a church during Orthodox Christmas Eve celebrations. Police reportedly received a tip about a Serbian national wanted on an Interpol notice who would be present at the event.
Authorities approached a man matching the physical description of the fugitive. Paunović immediately presented his diplomatic credentials, which police verified, confirming his identity. Italian authorities later apologized for the incident, according to Telefriuli.
The incident sparked a diplomatic stir but was resolved without further complications.