Milan attacker after stabbing stranger 20 times: 'I had fun, I'll do it again'
A 22-year-old man stabbed a stranger nearly 20 times outside a Milan bar on Saturday morning, then told police he had fun and would do it again. The victim, a 55-year-old having breakfast with his father, is now out of danger after multiple surgeries.
The attack
On the morning of 4 July, shortly before 7:30, Lamin Saidilly, 22, approached a bar in Milan's San Siro district wearing a black balaclava and carrying a 21-centimetre double-edged knife. Surveillance footage shows him walking calmly before suddenly attacking Gerardo P., 55, from behind as the victim chatted with his elderly father outside the bar. Saidilly stabbed the man repeatedly, striking his head, neck, chest and abdomen. Witnesses described around 20 stab wounds, though the video captured at least 10 to 12 thrusts before bystanders intervened.
The arrest
Three customers, including Egyptian mason Sobhi Rezk Azzam, 38, tackled the assailant and pinned him to the ground until police arrived. When officers handcuffed him, Saidilly told them:
The prosecutor's charging document states he attacked without saying a word, his face covered, and struck the victim with 20 slashes using a 21-centimetre knife.I had fun. As soon as I get out, I'll do it again.
Victim's condition
Gerardo P. was rushed to Niguarda hospital in critical condition and underwent surgery that evening and again the following morning. By Sunday afternoon, doctors had lifted the life-threatening prognosis. His wounds, though numerous, were not particularly deep, and he is expected to recover without long-term consequences. He remains in intensive care but is steadily improving.
Legal proceedings and reaction
Prosecutor Elio Ramondini has requested the arrest be validated on charges of attempted murder aggravated by premeditation and futile motives. The suspect, born in Conegliano Veneto to Gambian parents and recently returned from London, is scheduled to be questioned by judge Luigi Iannelli at San Vittore prison on Monday, 6 July. Investigators are also examining whether he has mental health issues; his family said he had not been under medical care but had disappeared about a week earlier. Notes with disjointed phrases were found in his wallet, but searches of his parents' home revealed no links to Islamist extremism.
Deputy prime minister and League leader Matteo Salvini commented on social media.Horrifying words. He had fun and would do it again? Then he should never leave prison!
- Surveillance footage captures the moment Lamin Saidilly attacks Gerardo P. from behind outside a bar in San Siro, Milan.
- Bystanders tackle and disarm the attacker; police arrive and arrest him.
- Victim undergoes first surgery at Niguarda hospital.
- Second surgery; doctors lift life-threatening prognosis, victim now in intensive care but improving.
- Suspect to be interrogated by judge Luigi Iannelli at San Vittore prison.
