Italy reports string of violent crimes: metro robbery, bathroom assault, train bullying and other attacks
Four Egyptian men were arrested for a violent robbery on Milan's M3 Montenapoleone metro station on 11 April, where they attacked a 52‑year‑old Bangladeshi‑origin Italian, beating him and stealing his watch and gold necklace. The arrests were made by the Milan mobile squad's “Falchi” unit, with two suspects already in San Vittore prison and the others seized in Milan and Bologna.
A 31‑year‑old woman filed a sexual‑assault complaint after being groped and slapped in the bathroom of a downtown Milan bar on 22 May. She described the attacker as a drunk, medium‑height Italian man who tried to force her against the wall before she escaped and reported the incident to the police.
A 17‑year‑old boy with a severe disability suffered burns on a train from Viterbo to Rome on 18 June after a peer allegedly ignited disinfectant gel with a lighter. Quick action by a Trenitalia employee and an off‑duty police officer prevented more serious injury.
In Reggio Emilia, police stopped two young men of Egyptian origin who were camping on the street; one was found with pepper‑spray above legal limits and the other with about 40 g of hashish and €240 in cash, leading to drug‑possession charges.
In Bitonto, an elderly couple was held hostage in their home for over an hour during a robbery late at night. The assailants, believed to have arrived in a foreign‑registered Audi, threatened, beat and tied the victims, searching for money before fleeing around 4 a.m.