Intruder interrupts closing ceremony remarks

Man wearing shirt with name of online casino detained; no one injured

	A man grabs the microphone during a speech by Valentino Castellani, the president of the Turin games organizing committee, during the ceremony.
Vladimir Rys / Getty Images

updated 7:10 p.m. ET Feb. 26, 2006

TURIN, Italy - In a startling security breach, an intruder got on stage during Sunday’s closing ceremony of the Turin Olympics.

The man approached the microphone during a speech by organizing committee chief Valentino Castellani and shouted, “Passion lives in Torino,” the slogan of the games.

The man, identified by police as Spanish, was then whisked away by security officers and taken into custody for questioning.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Castellani didn’t seem fazed by the incident and continued his speech uninterrupted.

The intruder was wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with the name of an online casino. Police said he had a Turin staff jacket, allowing him to blend in with volunteers near the stage.

Slide show
Taking gold
Check out the best images from the 2006 Winter Olympics.
In a separate incident at the start of the ceremony, a female streaker tried to run onto the stage but was turned back by security.