A tourist filmed carving names into the wall of Rome’s ancient Colosseum last week has been identified as a fitness trainer living in Britain. The identification was made using photographic comparisons, said Italian police. They did not identify the suspect, saying only that the man and his girlfriend were “a couple who are resident in England”. However, he was named by the Daily Telegraph as Ivan Dimitrov, a 27-year-old fitness instructor and delivery driver who is originally from Bulgaria and lives in Bristol. He was filmed by an onlooker etching his and his girlfriend’s name into a wall of the 2,000-year-old monument last Friday. He used a key to write “Ivan + Hayley 23”. An angry bystander who filmed the incident asked: “Are you serious, man?” The video, titled: “A*****e tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome,” was uploaded to YouTube and went viral. Italian police will send a note to the suspect’s home in England to inform him that he is under investigation, according to Il Messaggero, though it is unclear what will happen next. It was reported that the man could face a fine of up to €15,000 (£12,850) and a prison sentence of up to five years if convicted of defacing the historical monument. Rome’s Colosseum is a Unesco world heritage site where gladiators fought with one another and with wild animals including lions, leopards, bulls and ostriches. Its construction began under the reign of the emperor Vespasian in the first century AD. The Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano thanked the police for identifying the alleged suspect of the “uncivilised and absurd act committed at the Colosseum”. “It was an act that offended those around the world who appreciate the value of archaeology, monuments and history,” he said. “Now I hope justice will take its course by rigorously applying the laws.” The minister said that the government was considering a law that would impose stringent punishment on those found guilty of defacing or damaging the country’s historical and cultural heritage sites. “Those who cause damage will pay,” he said. In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined €20,000 (£17,000) for engraving a “K” on a wall at the site, and given a suspended four-year jail sentence. Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019. Read More Outrage in Rome after tourist filmed carving his and girlfriend’s names into Colosseum Italy looks for man seen in viral video carving names into Rome's almost 2,000-year-old Colosseum Watch: Couple carve names into Italy’s ancient Colosseum as hunt for vandals is launched Tourist who carved name into Rome’s Colosseum ‘is British fitness trainer’ Is it safe to travel to Paris right now? Britons warned to ‘avoid’ violence hotspots as riots shake France

Suzanne Wheeler doesn't want to symbolize a movement. She just wants to live as a trans woman in Kansas as she has for the past eight years: unapologetically herself -- and with the official documents to prove it.

Europe's Euclid space telescope is scheduled to blast off Saturday on the first-ever mission aiming to shed light on two of the universe's greatest mysteries...

TOKYO Japan's defence ministry said late on Friday it had spotted two Russian Navy ships in the waters

A series of high-profile domestic violence cases in China, including a killing carried out in broad daylight that was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, has sparked outrage -- and reignited a debate among young people about the pitfalls of marriage.

The Russian president has popped up on TV screens multiple times since last weekend's dramatic events - but to what end?

As if the smoke and haze sweeping in from fires in Canada weren’t enough, some parts of New York City are swarming with flying insects

The younger brother of the slain leader of an armed civilian defense movement in Mexico is warning that he and others who fought with Hipólito Mora will take up arms again if the government does not provide swift justice

By John Kruzel and Andrew Chung WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court has wrapped up another term in which

Several families in Georgia sued the state on Thursday over its ban on certain gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth, launching a last-minute effort to block the prohibitions just hours before it's set to take effect.

Hunter Biden's lawyer lashed out Friday against the IRS whistleblowers who testified to Congress that the president's son received preferential treatment from the Justice Department during his criminal investigation.

A State Department report says the department failed to do enough contingency planning before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan