Police have identified a man whose tattooed body was found dead in a London canal after reportedly being tied to a trolley and dumped in the water.
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Mr Magnanini was originally from Italy but was living and working in south London.
Confirming his identity yesterday, Scotland Yard described the circumstances of the death as “suspicious”.
The 46-year-old had distinctive tattoos of a lizard on his right shoulder, a koi carp on his torso, and small symbols on the fingers of one hand.
The heavily tattooed corpse of an Italian art thief from Venice has been found bound to a shopping trolley in a London canal. A post-mortem examination had proved inconclusive and further tests will be carried out.
“His life in Italy before coming to London will inevitably form part of the investigation but at this early stage we are not looking at organized crime as a motive”, Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Reeves said.
His parents were informed of his death on Monday, Venezia Today reported.
They continue to appeal to anyone who was in Muriel Street, N1 and the Regent’s Canal area to get in touch as any information they hold could assist with understanding the sequence of events which led to Mr Magnanini’s death.
“I would like to hear from anyone who may have seen him in the Euston area at around 16:50hrs. If you think you may have seen Sebastiano at any point or you know what happened to him please get in contact”.
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In 1998 he was jailed for 18 months after admitting to aggravated robbery and the painting was recovered after the theft, La Repubblica reported. He was arrested three months later, and the painting (painting, whose worth, according to the Daily Mail, was placed at $1.5 million) was soon recovered at a warehouse near the Marco Polo airport.
