One Albanian construction worker remains in a medically induced coma after being brutally attacked by a group of North African men while attempting to defend an elderly man from harassment in the Italian coastal district of Lido Tre Archi near Fermo.
Blerim Muça, 50, suffered life-threatening head injuries after intervening in an altercation at a bar on Via La Malfa on the evening of 4 June. According to Italian media reports and witness accounts, Muça had stopped for a coffee with his father-in-law after work when he noticed a group of young men repeatedly insulting and mocking an elderly patron inside the building.
Witnesses say Muça attempted to calm the situation and defend the elderly man. The confrontation subsequently moved outside the bar, where it escalated into violence. During the assault, Muça was reportedly struck several times, including a blow to the head with a stone that left him unconscious on the ground.
Emergency services transported him first to Fermo Hospital before he was transferred to Torrette Hospital in Ancona, where doctors placed him in an induced coma due to the severity of his injuries. According to the latest reports, his condition remains critical.
Several Italian media outlets identified the three suspects as being of North African origins with possibly immigration background, however, authorities have not yet officially released the identities or disclosed the nationality or immigration status. Witnesses of the brutal attack also appear to be confirming the media outlet’s claims.
According to some social media reports, the attackers shouted Islamist chants during the lynching, describing the incident as similar to the Albanian being 'almost beheaded'.
The incident was similar to the attempted beheading a few days ago of a man in Belfast, Northern Ireland where the perpetrator is a Sudanese national.