Italy: Another Random Stabbing in Milan

Last Saturday in the San Siro section of Milan, a group of men were sitting outside a bar chatting on the sidewalk when a 22-year-old man identified as Lamin Saidilly, while walking past them, without warning, attacked one of the men with a knife, stabbing him over 20 times before being subdued by the other men. The suspect attacked with no apparent motive and reportedly told police that “he had fun and would do it again as soon as he was out of jail.”

The attack occurred near the famed San Siro soccer stadium in Milan. I lived in that area for a couple of years in the 1980s while working with DEA in Milan. The bystanders who subdued the attacker and held him until police arrived are reportedly middle-aged men from Egypt.

The below article from RAI News is translated by Fousesquawk. The article also contains a surveillance camera video of the actual attack (viewer warning). We are also working on adding English subtitles to a second video in the article of a witness interview. The article also describes another attack in the Milan area during the same time frame. Three young Egyptian men are charged with that stabbing attack.

Passante accoltellato a Milano, il 22enne fermato: “Mi sono divertito, appena esco lo rifaccio”

Bystander stabbed in Milan, 22-year-old arrested: “I had fun, as soon as I get out, I will do it again”

Before the judge of instruction, he exercised his right to silence. Prosecutor: “He wanted to kill an easy target”. The 55-year-old is out of danger. Salvini: “He should never get out of prison.”

Lamin Saidilly, 22, born in Italy to parents from Gambia, who on Saturday morning, without motive, stabbed a man in front of a bar on the edge of Milan, wounding him seriously, exercised his right to silence.  His lawyer, Simona Brambilla, made the statement as she was leaving San Vittorio (prison) after the initial hearing. “It was his choice,” the defender stated, who described her client as “very shaken”. “He remembers nothing until he found himself in the police car,” she said, adding that the 22-year-old did not request the judge of instruction to reduce the precautionary measure.

On Saturday morning, Gerardo P., 55, was having breakfast with his elderly father at the La Giada bar on via Capecelatro, in the San Siro zone of Milan, when he was attacked by a young man with his face covered. The attacker, identified as 22-year-old Lamin Saidilly, struck him from behind with great force, inflicting about 20 stab wounds, hitting the victim in the head, neck, torso, and abdomen.

The public prosecutor of Milan, Elio Ramondini, has charged attempted murder with premeditation and with a “frivolous” motive. That is evident from the request to validate the arrest. As a basis of reconstruction, it is believed that the man planned to go out on the street to “cause the death” of the first person who could be an easy target. In addition, he was disguised and had a “double-edged blade of 21 centimeters”.

The “frivolous” motive hangs on what he said to law enforcement. “I had fun, and as soon as I get out, I will do it again.”

The intervention by bystanders and the silence of the attacker

Avoiding the worst was the immediate intervention of three Egyptian customers at the bar who managed to disarm and keep the young man on the ground until the arrival of police. According to the witnesses, the assault happened in absolute silence: There was absolutely no exchange of words or glances between the victim and the attacker.

In addition, once immobilized and taken into custody by law enforcement, the 22-year-old maintained a behavior of complete detachment, saying a sentence shocking to the officers: “I had fun, and as soon as I get out, I will do it again.”

The investigations into the profile of Lamin Saidilly

The investigators are digging into the past of the young man to understand the reasons for the act and to verify any possible presence of psychiatric problems.

The parents of the young man, residing in Conegliano Veneto (Treviso), have stated that the son had not been in any structured medical care and that he had been away from home for about a week.

From initial searches, no connections have emerged with radical Islamic extremism, and in the wallet of the 24-year-old (sic?) were found notes containing almost rambling sentences. Investigators are also sifting through the 10 years the young man reportedly spent in England prior to arriving in Milan a few days ago.

The victim is not in a life-threatening condition.

Gerardo P., the 55-year-old (who was stabbed), is no longer in danger and is currently recovering in Niguarda Hospital. He has undergone several operations and is in intensive post-operative care, but his condition is improving. The knife wounds he received, in particular in the abdomen and torso, are not particularly deep. His prognosis remains guarded, but he should not have any particular consequences, and his stay in the hospital will not be long. 

Father of the arrested 22-year-old incredulous

For the father of the stabber, a Gambian man who has for years. has been employed with the Electrolux Union, the act of his son, Lamin Saidilly, is inexplicable. 20 stab wounds with a 21-centimeter blade against a stranger.