ROME (AFP) – Hailed by exasperated motorists or condemned as a vigilante who risks lives, a saboteur known as ‘Fleximan’ has been destroying speed cameras across northern Italy, sparking a national debate.
Police on Thursday arrested a man in his 50s for allegedly destroying two speed cameras near the northern border with Switzerland in November 2023.
But they admit he is not the ‘Fleximan’ who has for months been operating across the north of Italy, from Veneto to Piedmont and Lombardy, vandalising dozens of radars. A police spokesperson told AFP they were working “night and day” to find the culprit.
In the meantime, Fleximan has developed a cult following on social media, hailed by those who see speed cameras as a state-sponsored “racket” to raise funds.
The families of road traffic victims have condemned the glorification of the saboteur, while critics point out that thousands of people die each year on Italy’s roads.
Local councillors are torn between those who “refuse to let the criminals win” and those who tacitly seem to support the action.
