Egyptian man dies after eight-day fight for life following screwdriver attack at Rome's Togliatti station

The attack at Togliatti station

On the afternoon of 18 July 2026, a 28-year-old Gambian man approached a 30-year-old compatriot at the Palmiro Togliatti railway station in Rome's eastern periphery, demanding money and a mobile phone. When the target refused, the aggressor punched him and then drew a screwdriver, wounding him in the legs and arms. Mohammed, a 30-year-old Egyptian friend of the victim, intervened to defuse the confrontation. The aggressor turned on Mohammed, striking him in the head with the screwdriver. The blow penetrated his skull. Mohammed, who was carrying a box cutter, attempted to defend himself but was overpowered. After he collapsed, the attacker kicked him repeatedly in the head and chest, tore off his clothes, and stole his wallet before fleeing. The assault, which took place near the stairs to the underpass, was captured in full by the station's video surveillance system. The alarm was raised around 16:30, though some accounts place the initial confrontation closer to 15:00. The surviving robbery target managed to escape and alert the authorities. The case was first reported by La Repubblica.

The victim's eight-day fight

Mohammed was rushed to the Policlinico Umberto I hospital in critical condition with severe cranial trauma. He was placed in intensive care, but his condition steadily deteriorated. He died on the night of 26 July 2026, eight days after the attack. He was a 30-year-old Egyptian citizen.

Investigation and arrest

The Polizia Ferroviaria del Lazio and investigators from the V Distretto Prenestino immediately began reviewing the surveillance footage. The images showed the aggressor's face and the entire sequence of violence, including the kicks delivered after the victim was already on the ground and the stripping of his clothes, which investigators described as a further act of humiliation. The surviving robbery target provided witness testimony. Within days, police identified the suspect: a 28-year-old Gambian national with a prior record for violent crimes, irregularly present in Italy, and without a fixed residence. Officers concentrated their search in areas the man was known to frequent and located him a short distance from his usual nighttime shelter. He was arrested and, on the order of the preliminary investigations judge, placed in pre-trial detention on a charge of attempted murder.

Legal consequences

The suspect was already in custody when Mohammed died. Following the death, the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office is expected to upgrade the charge from attempted murder to murder. The suspect remains in jail.