Somali asylum seeker arrested in Italy after mass stabbing

World Monday 13/September/2021 07:36 AM
By: DW
Somali asylum seeker arrested in Italy after mass stabbing
The suspect was reportedly riding a bus in Rimini without a ticket before the stabbing

Rome: A 26-year-old male Somali asylum seeker was arrested by police in Italy after several people were stabbed in the northern resort town of Rimini, several Italian news outlets reported on Sunday.

Four women and a six-year-old boy were injured in the incident, which occurred on Saturday evening. The boy is is said to be in critical condition after wounds on his neck.

The suspect was reportedly riding a bus without a ticket, and attacked two ticket controllers while aboard the vehicle. He then fled the scene and wounded three other people while on the run.

The police later managed to track down the suspect and arrested him.

Investigators do not believe the man's motive was terrorism-related, but rather think the man was likely under the influence of drugs during his rampage.

The man had applied for asylum in Italy and was reportedly housed in a Red Cross facility in Rimini.

According to the Italian ANSA news agency, the suspect had been living in Europe since 2015 and was denied asylum in several other European countries, such as Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands.