Bologna: Witness in Fakir case claims he lives in seclusion due to threats

A 37-year-old Kosovar man, who assisted police in the immobilization of Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna's Pilastro district on July 19, claims he is living in seclusion due to threats and physical assault.

The witness, who requested anonymity, stated he intervened spontaneously after police asked for his help to hold Fakir's ankles because the man would not calm down. He reported that since the incident, he has faced death threats and violence from local residents, forcing him to hide in a friend's house and only visit his mother in the neighborhood under the cover of night.

The man expressed his desire to leave the country and hopes Fakir's family can help convince those threatening him that he had no ill intent. He noted that he was one of the first to ask if Fakir was still breathing when the man became immobile during the restraint. Investigators have interviewed the witness, who is not currently under investigation.