Overview
- A stranger grabbed a girl of about five from her mother's arms at the Fontivegge bus stop; bystanders intervened and the mother recovered the child without physical injury.
- Police detained a 29-year-old Gambian man and charged him with attempted kidnapping after review of surveillance footage and photos of the child found on the suspect’s phone.
- A judge later validated the initial arrest but ruled there were no grounds to keep the man jailed on the sequestro di persona charge and ordered his release pending further proceedings.
- Authorities say the suspect is homeless, has multiple prior encounters with police and an expulsion clearance that was not carried out because his identity could not be fully established.
- The attack has left the child showing signs of lasting trauma, prompted extra patrols and neighborhood checks in Fontivegge, and renewed calls for clearer procedures on handling repeat offenders and expulsions.