Two men detained in Italy over Milan new year sexual assaults
Italian police have detained two men accused of involvement in a series of sexual assaults during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Milan.
Abdallah Bouguedra, 21, and Abdelrahman Ahmed Mahmoud Ibrahim, 18, are accused of “serious sexual assault accompanied by the robbery of mobile phones and handbags”, Milan’s acting prosecutor, Riccardo Targetti said.
The pair have been held in custody as there is a “concrete danger” of them trying to escape, given the serious allegations against them, Targetti added.
They are alleged to have been among a gang who sexually assaulted at least nine women during during celebrations in front of Milan’s cathedral on Piazza del Duomo. Ibrahim’s lawyer said his client had told police he was at the square but denied any involvement.
Police raided the homes of 18 suspects, including three under the age of 18, on Tuesday. Twelve people are currently being investigated. Police said the suspects are foreign or Italian of north African origin.
The case prompted comparisons with the mass sexual attacks and muggings that took place in the German city of Cologne on New Year’s Eve in 2015-16.
Several women, including two Germans who had been visiting Milan, came forward with their reports in the days after New Year’s Eve, with the number rising to nine by Tuesday. Police believe more women were assaulted.
The women shared similar stories of being dragged into the crowd, shoved and groped during the fireworks display. A 19-year-old woman alleged that she was set upon by a gang of youths at about 1.30am and attacked for about a minute before help arrived. Her friend managed to get away.
A Milan investigator told Corriere della Sera that the women were “passed around like rag dolls” and in one incident “one [suspect] held the victim while the other abused her”.
The two German women said they were pushed up against barriers and sexually assaulted. They filed their reports after returning to Germany.
One young woman suffered scrapes when her jumper was torn and trousers pulled down. She was taken to hospital by police for examination. Another was attacked on a street close to the square.
Police identified the suspects based on CCTV images, the accounts of the victims and witnesses, as well as via the analysis of social media posts.
Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe “Beppe” Sala, has apologised to the women, “also on behalf of the city”.