Padua police arrest man for sexual assault of a minor

A 40-year-old Pakistani man has been arrested in Padua, Italy, for the aggravated sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy of Chinese origin. The incident occurred in the bathroom of a bar managed by the victim's parents.

The arrest followed an alert from a customer who noticed the boy speaking with the man before the child disappeared from the room. The boy's parents, alerted by the customer, forced open the locked bathroom door and interrupted the assault. Police arrived on the scene, and medical personnel treated the teenager, who was in a state of shock.

Investigators used surveillance footage to reconstruct the event, which revealed the suspect had lured the minor into the bathroom and locked the door. During the search of the bathroom, police also discovered cocaine on the floor. The suspect, a resident of Emilia-Romagna with a criminal record for threats and public indecency, has been taken to the Due Palazzi prison. Padua Police Chief Marco Odorisio has initiated procedures to revoke the suspect's residence permit.

In a separate incident in Florence, a 25-year-old man is under investigation for endangering transport security. He is accused of placing a road sign pole and other debris on railway tracks in Lastra a Signa during the night of December 23-24, 2025, which triggered alarms and halted train traffic. Authorities confirmed the act was not linked to terrorist organizations.