Pensioner fights off duo targeting diplomat’s wife
A courageous pensioner scared away two muggers trying to rob the wife of an Italian diplomat, it has emerged.Maria Rosaria the spouse of Eugenio dAuria, the Italian ambassador in Vienna was attacked by two women in front of the State Opera in Viennas Innere Stadt district after a performance. The duo used pepper spray in their bid to rob their victim.The attackers escaped after Franz P., a great-grandfather aged 71, came to help the horrified woman.”The duo tried to snatch her handbag. I think they were high on drugs,” the pensioner told the Kronen Zeitung newspaper today (Tues).The elderly man added: “Im still shaking when I think back on the incident. My eyes are still hurting because I was hit by some of the pepper spray as well.”The would-be muggers were arrested by police shortly after the incident, according to the report by the Kronen Zeitung.It is the second time in a few weeks that a prominent figure was attacked in the road.Shortly before Christmas, the wife of former Peoples Party (ÖVP) head and Foreign Minister Alois Mock was mugged in Vienna-Döbling. Edith Mock, 73, remained unscathed in incident.The attacker managed to escape with her handbag which contained cash, ID documents and a bank card.