The interior ministry has released a circular letter telling police forces to beef up checks on driving licences after this week's school bus hijacking in northern Italy. Ousseynou Sy, a 47-year-old Italian national originally from Senegal, hijacked a bus at Crema near Cremona on Wednesday and doused it with petrol before torching it after police had helped 51 kids out of the back window at San Donato Milanese near Milan. Sy said he acted out of anger at the Italian government's migration policy. The circular letter by Interior Ministry Chief of Staff Matteo Piantedosi calls for the scrupulous application of the law concerning the issue and renewal of licences for drivers of vehicles that transport people as well as demanding more checks.
Sy hid the fact that he had had his licence suspended for drink driving by going on sick leave, sources said.
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