Mohammed Saidi, the 27-year-old Algerian arrested by local police for slashing a woman with a knife at the Duomo metro station in Milan , remains in custody. Preliminary investigating judge Cristian Mariani has confirmed the arrest, issuing a precautionary prison order on charges of permanent facial disfigurement, acknowledging the aggravating circumstances of futile motives and his evident danger to society. From what has been learned of the order, the judge emphasized that Saidi acted even though he had already been arrested a few hours earlier , and demonstrated a total lack of self-control and recklessness in his actions against a defenseless woman.
According to reports, Saidi—who is also charged with aggravated resisting arrest —displayed a hostile attitude during the preliminary hearing at San Vittore , appearing angry and providing a version of the attack deemed unreliable. The twenty-seven-year-old reportedly said he had arrived in Italy from France only a month earlier and had worked as a plumber with another Algerian. He also asked to be repatriated to Algeria . It was later reported that he claimed to be the victim of the attack because the girl had glared at him and insulted him, and denied having said he was Muslim (this detail, however, is not included in the transcripts).
He allegedly claimed he hadn't had a knife with him, explaining that the girl had cut herself with the metal clasp of her purse during the fight . He then walked away because he felt faint. He also claimed the blood on the ground was his, and during questioning he insisted on showing a wound on his finger. He essentially reversed the dynamics of the attack, but in the ruling the investigating judge deemed this version implausible. The precautionary measures he faces are the risks of repeating the crime and fleeing. The aggravating circumstance of futile motives was recognized precisely for his reckless action against a defenseless woman simply because of a glance he deemed excessive.
