Milan judge orders suspect to report twice weekly after assault on rabbi at bus stop

Incident at Piazzale Bande Nere

Around 16:10 on 16 September 2026, 60-year-old rabbi Davia Mizrai Shalom was waiting at the bus 67 stop in Piazzale Bande Nere in western Milan. Shalom, the director of the Chabad synagogue on Via Soderini, was writing messages on his phone while on his way to collect his children from school. Three young men approached and encircled him in a provocative manner, grabbing his traditional black hat and taking turns placing it on their own heads. When Shalom retrieved his hat and began recording the trio with his mobile phone to protect himself, one of the youths delivered a kick to his groin. The rabbi stayed on his feet and later noticed the group still lingering nearby at the bus 98 stop upon returning with his children, prompting him to alert Jewish community security.

“Lately there have been many insults, but this time they went a bit further.”

Police investigation and court measures

Officers from the Digos investigative unit tracked down the three suspects using video recorded by the victim as they walked away. Police arrested 20-year-old Ilyes Zahani, while his 21-year-old brother Battar and a 19-year-old Moroccan friend were placed under investigation while remaining at liberty. All three youths were born in Italy to North African immigrant parents, reside outside Milan, and have prior police records for property and personal offences. Prosecutor Luca Gaglio charged Zahani with propaganda and instigation to commit crimes on grounds of racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination. On 17 September 2026, preliminary investigation judge Sofia Fioretta validated the arrest but ordered Zahani released under a precautionary requirement to report to police twice a week. In addition, Milan police headquarters issued a mandatory expulsion order prohibiting all three individuals from entering Milan for one year.

Court defence and community response

During the direct hearing held behind closed doors, Zahani claimed the confrontation was merely a juvenile prank that escalated when the victim began filming. He told the court that he did not realize the victim was Jewish and argued that the kick was a reaction to being photographed.

“I am not able to recognize those clothes, those hats, and I do not care at all about Palestine, nor about the war.”

Judge Fioretta dismissed the explanation as implausible, finding that the physical violence was directly motivated by religious and ethnic hatred against an elderly victim. Outside the courtroom, Battar Zahani, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student at the Politecnico di Milano, told reporters that the group had been making social media videos and denied using physical violence. Walker Meghnagi, president of the Milan Jewish Community, expressed deep concern over the altercation. Shalom stated that he felt physically well despite the emotional shock and noted an increase in requests to teach Torah classes following the incident. The formal trial for the case is scheduled to open in Milan on 12 November 2026.