ROME – Two Senegalese men have been arrested for the gang rape and murder of Desiree Mariottini, a 16-year old Italian girl who was found dead last week, police said.

 Mamadou Gara, 26, and Brian Minteh, 43, are believed to be among those responsible for the drugging, rape and murder of Mariottini. Police are working to identify the other parties involved and have already tracked down a third accomplice.

 The 16-year old was drugged in the afternoon of Oct. 18 in the San Lorenzo district of Rome and was then sexually assaulted by the group of men while she was unconscious. She was killed on the night of Oct. 19, investigations from San Lorenzo police have shown.

 Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who has visited the scene, expressed his thanks to the police for their work in tracking down and arresting Mariottini’s suspected killers, before saying, “I will do everything possible to ensure that the vermin guilty of this horror pay the highest price.”

 It is expected that the case will spark another debate over migration, given the illegal status of the men who have been arrested. PM