US tourist spends night on roof of Milan’s Duomo cathedral

MILAN – The caretakers of Milan’s historic Duomo cathedral on Wednesday requested additional police surveillance in light of an incident in which an American tourist was locked inside overnight and the terror attack on a French church.

Italian police say an American tourist spent a night locked on the spectacular rooftop of Milan’s Gothic-inspired Duomo after being overlooked by security.

Police said the 23-year-old man told them that he was in the bathroom when security made a final pass, and found himself locked inside the landmark cathedral when he went to leave on Monday night. He decided not to create alarm and spent the night on the spired rooftop, reporting himself to authorities when they reopened on Tuesday.

The tourist, whose passport showed he was born in Illinois, did not face any charges. Authorities declined to identify him.

The Vereranda Fabbrica, which runs the cathedral, has asked Milan police for more help in screening visitors and helping its workers secure the premises at closing time, saying they don’t have “the necessary skills for security.”

The caretaking body said it made the request “not only in light of the facts that have touched France, hitting for the first time a sign of Christianity in Europe.”

Visitors entering the Duomo have long been screened by police and armed soldiers, and those wanting to reach the roof must pass through a metal detector.