Man stabbed to death on Savona beach after argument; suspect surrenders to police in Milan
A 36-year-old man died after being stabbed during a fight on a crowded beach in Savona, Italy. The suspect, a 52-year-old Italian, fled the scene but later called police from Milan to surrender and was taken into custody.
The attack on the beach
On Sunday, 5 July 2026, around 15:00, an argument broke out among a group of men on the free beach of the Prolungamento in Savona. The dispute escalated quickly, and one man pulled out a knife, stabbing Yassine Mirinioui, 36 (some sources report 37), in the abdomen. The attacker then fled along the shoreline, disappearing into the crowd of beachgoers.
- Argument escalates; attacker stabs victim in abdomen and flees along the beach.
- Victim reaches stairs and collapses near a fairground attraction; emergency services called.
- Victim taken to San Paolo hospital in cardiac arrest, undergoes emergency surgery.
- Victim dies during the night despite medical efforts.
- Suspect calls police from Milan to surrender.
- Police arrest the 52-year-old suspect in Milan.
Victim and medical response
Mirinioui, born in Morocco on 20 December 1989, was with friends when the attack occurred. After being stabbed, he managed to walk to a nearby staircase before collapsing near a fairground attraction. Emergency services arrived promptly, finding him in cardiac arrest and lying in a pool of blood. Paramedics restarted his heart and rushed him to San Paolo hospital in critical condition. Despite emergency surgery, he died during the night.
Suspect's flight and surrender
The attacker, described as a 52-year-old Italian man, initially escaped by changing clothes and blending into the promenade crowd. Police, Carabinieri, and the Coast Guard launched a joint search, reviewing surveillance footage from the area. On 6 July, the man called police from Milan with the intention of surrendering. Officers traced the call and arrested him at a police station in the city, where he is now being interrogated.
Witness account
Benedetto Brandolani, an 18-year-old tourist from Codogno, was a few metres away with his girlfriend and a friend. He described the scene to Il Secolo XIX.
I saw a man in swimming trunks approach a guy quite close to us. Their shouting caught my attention. Then the attacker said, clearly, 'Learn to behave.' He pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the lower abdomen. The victim turned to his friends and yelled, 'Guys, he stabbed me.' He walked to the stairs and then collapsed.
Investigation underway
The investigation, coordinated by prosecutor Luca Traversa, is now treating the case as homicide. Authorities are examining the motive, which remains unclear. The attacker's phrase before the stabbing suggests a personal vendetta or a settling of scores, and investigators have not ruled out links to drug dealing. The victim had been sleeping in a tent in a secluded part of the beach for about a week, according to early findings.
