It’s a title which makes you think this is going to be some kind of fairytale article. But unfortunately it’s a true story. Antonio Tiberi (21) has been sentenced to pay a fine of 4,000 euros for shooting the cat of a minister from San Marino. The Trek-Segafredo cyclist confessed to shooting the animal with an air rifle from his window.

Antonio Tiberi with an air rifle

Tiberi bought an air rifle last summer and decided to test his new acquisition from the window. The first target was a traffic sign, but when he saw the cat pass by, he got the idea to aim for a moving target. To his own surprise, the Italian hit the cat right in the head. The animal died on the spot. The owner of the cat witnessed the incident and immediately called the police. And that owner is not just anyone, but Federico Pedini Amati, the minister of tourism and former head of state of San Marino. Tiberi admitted shooting, “though he didn’t mean” to kill the cat.

Tiberi residence permit at stake

Tiberi has now been told the sentence. He must pay a fine of 4000 euros, but it may not stop there. There is a chance that San Marino will take away his residence permit, forcing him to return to Italy. The former world junior time trial champion lives in San Marino because of the more favorable tax climate. “We don’t have to give these people a residence permit,” Amati said.

Pro cyclist

Tiberi has been a professional since 2021. Last year he won the fifth stage in the Tour of Hungary. This year he finished seventh in the general classification of the UAE Tour and was eighth overall after six days of racing in the Tour Down Under.

Crash

Tiberi crashed hard on his debut for Trek in a time trial on the UAE Tour in 2021. These images are now widely shared on social media. ,,Greetings from the cats”, Tiberi is told.