A 34-year-old Iraqi man illegally residing in Italy was arrested on March 9 after attempting to snatch a five-month-old baby from a car outside a supermarket in Latina — the latest in a disturbing series of child kidnapping attempts carried out by foreign nationals across the country.
According to initial reports, the Iraqi man had been acting suspiciously in the car park before approaching a vehicle where the baby was strapped into a car seat with his mother. He opened the door and attempted to grab the child.
The mother screamed for help while physically trying to stop him, drawing the attention of bystanders and the child’s father, who chased the man down and held him until police arrived.
The mayor of Latina, Matilda Celentano, also commented on the case, saying: “The reconstruction by the State Police leaves me deeply shocked, but at the same time proud of the immediate response of our security system. On behalf of the entire administration and the citizens, I want to express our deepest sympathy for the mother and child involved in this terrible situation. My heartfelt thanks go to the citizens present who did not turn a blind eye, and especially to the State Police officers.”
She added that their intervention “averted a heinous crime and immediately brought the perpetrator to justice. “This episode, despite its exceptionality and gravity, demonstrates the importance of territorial control. We will not lower our guard: we will continue to work closely with the Prefecture and law enforcement to strengthen video surveillance and the protection of sensitive areas. Latina must be and will remain a city where families can feel safe. I will closely monitor the legal proceedings, reaffirming my ongoing commitment to upholding the rule of law.”
Officers determined the Iraqi was in the country illegally and in possession of a rubber mallet.
A member of the public had also earlier reported the Iraqi man’s suspicious behavior in the area, according to police. He was arrested on charges of attempted kidnapping and possession of an offensive weapon and taken into custody pending validation of his arrest, according to Italian news outlet Il Tempo.
Wave of similar kidnappings
The Latina case is far from isolated. A pattern of similar incidents has emerged across Italy in recent years, with foreign nationals implicated in a significant share of child abduction attempts. According to figures cited in Italian reporting, in 2024 alone, 38 percent of arrests and reports related to kidnapping involved foreign nationals — a group that represents just 9 percent of Italy’s resident population.
Homeless Roma man tries to kidnap 18-month-old girl
The incidents stretch from north to south. On Feb. 14, outside a supermarket in Bergamo, a homeless Romanian man attempted to tear an 18-month-old girl from her mother’s arms. Her father managed to stop the attacker, who was then restrained by passersby and security staff. The violence left the toddler with a fractured femur.
Remix News also published a video of this horrifying incident.
🇮🇹Italy
In Bergamo, a Romanian migrant tried to kidnap a one-and-a-half-year-old girl at the entrance of a supermarket.
The mother and other witnesses managed to stop the man, but the little girl suffered a fractured femur.
The Romanian was arrested. pic.twitter.com/OpXHjlJot4
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 16, 2026Tunisian tries to abduct 1-year-old girl
In November 2025, at Padua’s main railway station, a 22-year-old Tunisian man — in Italy for approximately a year — punched a father and attempted to abduct his one-year-old daughter before being stopped by police.
He fought back violently during his arrest, kicking and striking an officer.
Gambian tries to snatch baby
A month earlier, near Bologna’s train station, a young Gambian male residing at a reception center for unaccompanied migrant minors approached an Italian family and attempted to lift a baby girl from her pram. The child had fortunately been secured with a harness. The man fled but was tracked down within minutes following a call to the police operations center.
Foreign couple tries to kidnap kindergarten child
In September 2025, a couple of foreign nationality arrived at a municipal nursery school in Rome’s Montesacro district before closing time, claiming to be relatives of a child and asking to collect him early.
The school’s pedagogical coordinator requested identifying documentation, at which point the two left without the child.
Romanian tries to kidnap 7-year-old
On July 27, 2025, near Piazzale della Radio in Rome, a Romanian man with no fixed address and a prior criminal record was arrested after attempting to snatch a seven-year-old girl from her mother, then chasing the family while brandishing a bottle. The child’s father and bystanders held the man until the Carabinieri arrived.
Nigerian man tries to kidnap 2-year-old
In October 2024, inside a Bricocenter DIY store in Turin, a 46-year-old Nigerian man with a prior record grabbed a two-year-old boy from behind and ran out of the shop. The father gave chase, wrestled his son free, and the suspect then stripped off his clothing and threatened passersby with a glass bottle.
At the time, Italian politician Matteo Salvini wrote about the case: “Horrible! How can someone commit such acts? No ‘tolerance’ whatsoever for those who bring violence and crime into our homes, but a one-way ticket back to their country. Go!”
Another Nigerian tries to attack pregnant woman and rip her son from her arms
Months earlier in Trapani, a different Nigerian man from the one in the above case attacked a young pregnant woman outside a school and tried to wrench her son from her arms. When Carabinieri searched him after his arrest, they found a log-splitting axe and a knife nearly 30 centimeters long in his backpack.
Guinean migrant tried to abduct a baby
In Ragusa in January 2024, a 22-year-old Guinean man attempted to abduct a baby being held by its mother while the father pushed a stroller with their three-year-old nearby. The mother’s valiant efforts to stop the African migrant thwarted his kidnapping effort. Two officers who happened to be in the area were able to intercede and quickly arrest the man. The migrant was charged with aggravated kidnapping.
Foreign woman beats elderly woman and tries to snatch 10-year-old boy
Around the same time at Rome’s Termini station, a foreign woman tried to snatch a ten-year-old boy after knocking his grandmother to the ground and beating her.
“I resisted with all my might, was thrown to the ground and beaten, screaming desperately, but no one intervened to help us. It was terrible». Mrs. Adriana G. said after filing a formal police complaint.
While telling her story, she broke out into tears when telling the reporter that her grandson screamed, “Grandma, please don’t leave me,” during the incident.
Attempted kidnapping of 2-year-old boy
In Milan, a North African woman with Italian citizenship attempted to take a two-year-old boy from the central Piazza Gae Aulenti. Pursued by the child’s father, she eventually released the boy and fled.
Italy is far from the only country experiencing this traumatic trend. A video from Bordeaux, France, helps encapsulate how quickly a child can be snatched. The video went viral when it was first released and is still routinely posted on social media. In short, this is a European-wide issue.
Bordeaux, France:
A thug tries to kidnap a little girl at the front door of her own house, throwing her grandmother to the floor.
Horrifying and infuriating. France is no longer France. pic.twitter.com/C909EiOTQw
— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) February 19, 2026
