A 27-year-old Egyptian citizen with a long history of targeting the elderly was arrested by Milan State Police on Saturday after he violently robbed an 86-year-old Italian man of his yellow-gold necklace in broad daylight. The incident was captured on surveillance video and published on social media.
š®š¹š“An Egyptian migrant beat an 86-year-old man and robbed him of his gold necklace in the Italian city of Milan.
The 27-year-old suspect was filmed attacking the elderly man from behind.
After his arrest, police learned he had prior convictions for robbery and theft againstā¦ pic.twitter.com/bXgQgkcIoq
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) August 10, 2026The attack took place on Thursday, August 6, shortly after noon in Via Pezzotti. The elderly victim was walking with his wife when the suspect approached him from behind, grabbed him by the neck, and threw him to the ground. Once on the ground, the Egyptian tore the necklace from his neck and fled toward Via Antonini.
Motorcycle officers from the āNibbioā unit of the General Prevention Office arrived quickly. The victim received first aid on the spot, refused hospital transport and gave a clear description of his attacker.
Police from the 6th Section of the Milan Flying Squad immediately examined nearby security cameras and obtained a usable image of the perpetratorās face.
š®š¹ An elderly woman makes the mistake of thinking she can take the subway in Italy by herself.
She is approached by an Arab migrant, who throws her to the floor and robs her of her necklace, choking her as he rips it from her neck.
The caption reads, "They didnāt just steal aā¦ pic.twitter.com/tUCx6EIbwC
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 24, 2026Two days later, on Saturday afternoon just after 4:00 p.m., officers spotted the same man on Via Pezzotti at the corner of Via Carcano. He was standing near the parish church, closely watching elderly people as they entered and left the building.
According to the Italian newspaper Il Giorno Milan, this behavior suggested he may have been preparing another robbery. When stopped for a check, the suspect scrolled through photos on his mobile phone while looking for an identity document. Officers recognized him in one of the pictures, as he was wearing the identical clothes and accessories he had on at the time of the robbery.
He was arrested on the spot, taken to San Vittore prison and placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities.
Investigators say the 27-year-old has more than 20 police arrests, including convictions for thefts and robberies targeting the elderly.
He has been an asylum seeker since 2024 and is therefore legally present in Italy despite his long police record. He arrived in the country in 2023, first landing in Siderno, with his criminal history beginning with a theft in April 2024. From that point, there were 17 further reports for thefts and robberies, most of them targeting elderly victims.
He also has previous records involving illegal weapons In November 2025, he was arrested for robbery.
The Milan Flying Squad is continuing its investigation.
