Italy: Knife Wielding Man in Padua Yelling, Allahu Akhbar" Police Injured

On September 2, 2026, in the northern Italian city of Padua (Padova), a 27-year-old Gambian man was arrested as he walked around the train station waving a knife. Upon arrest, the Gambian repeatedly shouted, “Allahu Akhbar” and resisted arrest, causing minor injuries to one of the officers. The article below from Il Tempo, which is translated by Fousesquawk, does not fully explain the headline, which refers to a “CPR”. This is a detention center for foreigners in the process of being deported. The suspect has been placed in this center and will be deported.

Padua, at the station, he shouts, Allahu Akhbar” with a knife. Gambian expelled to CPR. “Repatriated”

September 3, 2026

A Gambian citizen and asylum seeker created panic at the Padova (train) station brandishing a kitchen knife with a 15-centimeter blade. The incident occurred yesterday, after which, a passerby alerted a patrol of the Rapid Response Operation Unit (Uopi) of the presence of the armed man. At the moment of arrest, the 27-year-old resisted the police and repeatedly yelled, “Allahu Akhbar“. Then, trying to get away, he caused minor injuries to a policeman, specifically a graze to the elbow and hand, expected to heal in 3 days. The man was arrested for resistance and injury to a public official, illegal possession of arms and offensive objects, as well as false identity.   

“What happened at the Padova Train Station once again shows how thin the line is between a police intervention that concludes successfully and a tragedy. Our applause to the Padova Police headquarters, and in particular, to the colleagues from Uopi and the patrols who disarmed and arrested a 27-year-old and avoided what could have caused harm to the citizens,” Domenico Pianese, Secretary General of the Coisp Police Union,. said in a statement. 

From checks made at the police headquarters, numerous previous police and criminal records, also for crimes related to drugs, have emerged. Arriving in Italy in March 2016 as an unaccompanied minor, he was arrested a few months later in Enna for kidnapping and extortion. In 2017, he was also investigated for violence, threats to a public official, and attempted sexual assault. In 2022, he was arrested in Portogruaro for possession with intent to sell drugs, and investigated for trespassing on land and in buildings. For the incidents of dealing drugs committed in 2022, in December 2023, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Released in 2025 after serving his sentence, the 27-year-old is currently on probation from a proceeding relative to unauthorized possession of a communication device during the previous detention. His request for asylum was declared inadmissible by the Territorial Commission of Trieste in February 2026, but the measure was later suspended after an appeal filed by the man.