Milan police arrest six more Latin Kings over May stabbing death of Gianluca Ibarra Silvera at Certosa station

The arrests

Milan State Police arrested six more members of the Latin Kings street gang on Monday, 13 July, in connection with the 26 May murder of Gianluca Ibarra Silvera at Milano Certosa station. The suspects are a 19-year-old Dominican national and five Peruvians between the ages of 18 and 22. They were located and detained in the provinces of Milan and Monza under a precautionary custody order issued by the Milan Prosecutor's Office.

The operation is the second phase of an investigation led by the Flying Squad's Second Section for Foreign Crime and Prostitution. On 5 and 9 June, police had already arrested two men identified as the material perpetrators of the fatal stabbing: Isaias Gonzalo Linares Melendez, a 20-year-old Peruvian citizen born in Argentina, and Jefferson Smit Echevarria Verano, 19. Both were apprehended after an unsuccessful attempt to flee abroad.

The attack on 26 May

Investigators reconstructed the assault using video surveillance footage, witness testimony, and technological analysis. The group, belonging to the Latin Kings, initially surrounded Ibarra Silvera, his brother, and a friend. They then attacked the three with rocks, glass bottles, and knives, chasing them along the railway tracks.

During the escape, Ibarra Silvera fell to the ground. The attackers caught up with him and stabbed him repeatedly with cutting weapons. One report states he was struck approximately thirty times. The victim, a 22-year-old second-generation Italian of Ecuadorian extraction, succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

The group, belonging to the Latin King gang, initially surrounded the victim, his brother, and their friend, then attacked them with rocks, bottles, and knives, chasing them along the railway tracks. During the escape, the victim, who fell to the ground, was reached and struck multiple times with cutting weapons.

Gang context and motive

According to the reconstruction, at least 17 people took part in the ambush. The gang reportedly believed they were confronting rivals from the MS-13 gang, with whom there had apparently been a clash earlier that afternoon. After the attack, members of the group shouted a challenge.

We are the Latin Kings, we are the kings.

Among the six newly arrested suspects is a trapper known by the stage name "Reyomar." The investigation continues to examine the roles of each participant in the coordinated aggression.

What comes next

The six suspects now face charges of participating, in various capacities and in concert, in the murder of Gianluca Ibarra Silvera. They join the two men already in custody since June, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to eight. The Milan Prosecutor's Office continues to coordinate the investigation as authorities work to identify any remaining members of the group involved in the attack.