There were moments of fear and tension late yesterday evening, Saturday, August 8, on the Barcellona seafront in Alghero, near Via Garibaldi, where a three-year-old girl was reportedly picked up by a stranger as she ran toward her parents, among the hundreds of people crowding the summer promenade.
According to an initial reconstruction, the little girl moved away a few meters when a young man, who was in the company of two other peers, suddenly lifted her off the ground and began kissing her on various parts of her body .
According to witnesses, this behavior appeared anything but a simple display of affection, prompting an immediate reaction from the parents. The father rushed toward the man and managed to forcefully remove the child from his arms . Within moments, the scene attracted the attention of numerous passersby, including residents and tourists, who witnessed the incident.
The three youths then fled along the seafront, pursued by several bystanders . For several minutes, the situation remained extremely tense, and the fugitives risked being caught and attacked by the crowd, outraged by what had just happened. Local police and Carabinieri patrols arrived on the scene within minutes, gathering initial testimonies and launching a search. The three youths were located shortly thereafter and taken to the police station for further investigation and to reconstruct exactly what happened. Investigative checks are currently underway to clarify the exact circumstances of the incident, gather testimonies from bystanders, and assess any criminal liability.
