An Egyptian migrant who illegally landed in Italy by sea was fatally shot by police on New Year’s Eve after commencing a stabbing spree in the town of Villa Verucchio, injuring five people.
In what is being investigated as a terrorist attack, 23-year-old Muhammad Sitta used a 22-centimeter kitchen knife to attack pedestrians walking around the town, south-west of Rimini, at around 10 p.m., first targeting an 18-year-old before indiscriminately wounding several others including another teenager, an older couple, and a young girl.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing the attacker shout phrases in Arabic before he was confronted by Italian police shortly after the attack. Despite warnings, Sitta charged at the officers and was shot dead.
Investigators later found a prayer mat and antipsychotic medication in his apartment. A pocket-sized Koran and a prayer bead necklace, commonly used in Islamic practices, were on his person during the attack, Il Giornale newspaper reported.
Several victims remain hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. One teenager suffered a punctured lung, a woman sustained spinal injuries, and an older man was wounded in the abdomen.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the officer who fired the fatal shots, a standard procedure in such cases, although the move has enraged some politicians including Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini who took to social media to express his dissatisfaction with the process.
Authorities are exploring Sitta’s background, which remains largely unknown before his arrival by boat in Italy in 2022. Investigators are scrutinizing his social media activity and translating phrases he shouted during the attack to determine a possible motive. The possibility of terrorism, including a “lone wolf” scenario, remains under consideration.
Sitta entered Italy illegally and was granted international protection. With the help of a local social cooperative, he secured housing and participated in professional courses while receiving a government subsidy. He worked as a bricklayer but had no known criminal history.
Despite his possession of antipsychotic drugs, there is no evidence he was undergoing treatment for mental health issues. Authorities are also investigating whether Sitta was under the influence of substances during the attack.
On social media, Salvini praised the actions of the Italian police officers involved in neutralizing the suspect, dismissing concerns about excessive force as “excessive patience.” Villa Verucchio’s mayor, Lara Gobbi, also commended the swift intervention of law enforcement, which she said prevented further tragedy.
Eccesso di difesa?
Non scherziamo, semmai quel Carabiniere (come la stragrande maggioranza degli italiani) sta esercitando un “eccesso di pazienza”, arrivando poi ad una sacrosanta legittima difesa. pic.twitter.com/LOVyteULyT
— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) January 2, 2025Rosaria Tassinari of the right-wing Forza Italia party highlighted the need for enhanced security measures, while Galeazzo Bignami of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s governing Brothers of Italy (FdI) stressed the importance of legislative review to support the police in such situations.
“We are carefully following the developments of the matter, reserving the right, where necessary, to intervene also at the legislative level if the current legislation does not guarantee full operation and protection for our police forces in the exercise of their functions and competencies, which must be carried out with the concrete belief that the state is on their side,” said Bignami, the FdI’s parliamentary group leader.
Authorities continue to investigate all angles of the case, including Sitta’s potential connections to extremist groups, his mental health, and his motives.
