Algerian Migrant Arrested for Disfiguring Woman at Milan Metro
A 27-year-old illegal Algerian migrant was remanded in custody for allegedly slashing a woman's face at a Milan metro station after claiming she looked at him inappropriately.
The incident occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. at Milan’s Duomo metro station, where Mohammed Saidi confronted a 23-year-old woman of Moroccan origin who was waiting for a train with friends on the yellow line platform.
“What are you looking at? I’m a man and a Muslim,” the suspect allegedly declared before verbally abusing the woman and striking her in the face, as Remix News reports.
When the victim attempted to defend herself, Saidi reportedly pulled out a small blade and slashed her across the lip and cheek. Multiple witnesses heard her screams as the knife came dangerously close to her eye. She was subsequently transported to hospital with injuries that medical staff initially assessed would require ten days of treatment.
Local police officers pursued Saidi as he fled the metro station and apprehended him nearby on Via Torino, close to Via Falcone. He was discovered hiding behind a sofa in the entrance area of a gym.
During questioning at Milan’s San Vittore prison, Saidi denied the attack and claimed he was actually the victim. He insisted the blood found at the scene was his own, not the woman’s, and argued that her facial wound had been caused by the buckle of her own handbag during a struggle.
The investigating judge dismissed his version of events as implausible and ordered his continued detention on charges of permanent facial disfigurement and resisting arrest. The judge stated that Saidi had demonstrated a total lack of self-control and unscrupulous action against a defenseless woman.
Prosecutors requested his continued imprisonment on the grounds that he posed a significant danger to the public and was at high risk of committing further offences or absconding.
In a revealing detail about the failures of migrant detention systems, Saidi had been arrested less than 12 hours before the metro attack for an alleged attempted robbery and damage to parked vehicles. Despite this, he was released after a fast-track hearing with only an order banning him from residing in Milan.
The suspect is homeless, has no prior criminal convictions, and is illegally present in Italy. He reportedly told investigators that he had arrived from France approximately one month before the attack and expressed a desire to be repatriated to Algeria. Records show he had originally applied for political asylum in Germany in 2022.
Investigators continue to review surveillance footage from the metro station and are working to identify witnesses who left the scene following the violent assault.
With information from Remix News
