A 22-year-old man born in Italy to migrant parents allegedly stabbed a 55-year-old man in Milan over the weekend before reportedly proclaiming “I had fun, as soon as I get out, I’ll do it again” to the police officers that arrested him.
Italian outlets described the perpetrator on Sunday as Lamin Saidilly, a man born in the town of Conegliano, Veneto, to migrant parents from Gambia. Saidilly suddenly stabbed Gerardo Pastore, 55, while the victim was having breakfast and conversing with his elderly father at La Giada, a cafe in Milan.
Rai News reports that on Saturday morning Saidilly inflicted “about twenty” stab wounds to the victim’s head, neck, chest, and abdomen. There was no prior argument or interaction between the victim and the assailant, and according to witnesses and the cafe’s staff, the men did not know each other.
The victim reportedly underwent several surgeries over the past hours and is no longer in critical condition, with Italian outlets noting that the wounds he suffered on the abdomen and torax were not “particularly deep.” His prognosis, however, reportedly remains reserved as of Sunday night.
Rai News further detailed that Saidilly was stopped by three Egyptian nationals who happened to be in the commercial establishment at the time. The men reportedly pinned Saidilly to the ground long enough for police patrol cars to arrive to the crime scene.
Most disturbingly, Saidilly told law enforcement officials, “I had fun, as soon as I get out, I’ll do it again.” Italian outlets published security camera footage of the disturbing incident.
Milan prosecutor Elio Ramondini charged Saidilly with attempted murder, aggravated by premeditation and futile motives. The prosecutor reportedly detailed that it is believed Saidilly planned to go out to the street to cause the death of the first person who might have been an easy target for him — and explained that the 22 year old man was wearing a disguise and carried a knife “with a double-edged blade measuring 21 centimeters in total length.”
According to Italian outlets, Saidilly will undergo interrogation on Monday at the San Vittore Prison in Milan. Per Rai News, Lamin Saidilly lived in the United Kingdom for ten years and had just arrived in Milan “just a few days” ago. Initial investigations have reportedly not found a link between the man and radical Islamic extremist — but written notes “containing rambling phrases” were found inside Saidilly’s wallet.
Saidilly’s father, who resides in Conegliano Veneto, was reportedly interviewed by police officers and said that his son had left home “a week” ago and had no contact with him and “did not know where he might have been sleeping.”
“Hallucinating words. He had fun and would do it again? Then he should never set foot outside prison again!” Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini wrote on a Sunday social media post condemning the crime.
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