Authorities in Milan are searching for five North African males suspected of stabbing a 16-year-old boy and leaving him for dead in the Italian city.
The Italian teenager was accosted by the migrant gang around 9 p.m. on Thursday evening outside the Merlata Bloom shopping center in the western suburbs of the city.
The gang surrounded the teen and the girl he was with before assaulting him and stabbing him multiple times in an attempt to steal his wallet, cell phone, and scooter.
Emergency responders arrived quickly, treating the victim for wounds to his head, back, and hand before transporting him to Niguarda Hospital where he remains in a serious condition.
Authorities from the General Prevention Office of the Milan Police Headquarters are working to reconstruct the sequence of events and identify the attackers.
According to initial reports, the assailants were described as of North African origin, though their identities have not yet been confirmed. Witnesses provided accounts that could aid investigators in tracking down those responsible.
This latest attack follows another violent incident at the same location involving a 19-year-old victim who was also stabbed and robbed of his cell phone. He too was taken to Niguarda Hospital in serious but stable condition.
Local residents and employees of the shopping center have voiced concerns over recurring violence in the area, describing frequent incidents of crime, muggings, and assaults. Some have expressed frustration over the security situation, calling for increased safety measures.
“Crime, attacks, and robberies. It is the usual situation here,” one told local news outlet Corriere Della Sera.
In November last year, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi announced the deployment of 600 additional police officers to Milan, citing concerns over integration challenges and rising crime rates, particularly in areas with significant immigrant populations.
Piantedosi offered damning statistics on the disproportionate involvement immigrants have in committing crime, noting that 65 percent of all offenses in the city are committed by foreign nationals despite representing 20 percent of all residents.
“These figures highlight integration challenges that must be addressed to reduce marginalization and its consequences,” he added.
At the same time, Milan’s left-wing mayor Beppe Sala accepted that the Italian city can no longer be considered a safe place to live.
“I won’t claim Milan is a safe city, but it is making an effort to address challenges faced by all international cities,” he said.
One such challenge is the rise in sexual assaults across the city, an issue that gained mass coverage during New Year’s Eve celebrations when several women reported assaults by migrants.
Six Belgian students shared their experience of being sexually assaulted by a large group of foreign men while celebrating the festivities in Milan’s Piazza Duomo, describing the experience as “a night of terror.”
Just last month, Milanese authorities arrested one Egyptian national and were on the lookout for nine other men of North African origin in connection with the gang rape of a 19-year-old student who was partying at a nightclub with her boyfriend.
The brutal attack occurred outside the Alcatraz club after the victim and her boyfriend had stepped outside the club. They were then accosted by a gang of 10 people who initially attempted to rob them but when they resisted, proceeded to rape the female victim.
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