Murder in Udine: 61-year-old killed with knife on via Castions, attacker at large
Abdellatif Bensefiyan, 61, died on Friday evening after being attacked on the street in Udine. The attacker, the ex-partner of his sister, fled and is still being sought.
Fatal assault on via Castions di Strada: victim dies in hospital
A 61-year-old man, Abdellatif Bensefiyan, of Moroccan origin, died on Friday 4 September after being attacked with a knife in the via Castions di Strada neighbourhood of Udine. According to messaggeroveneto.it, the victim was returning home with shopping bags when he was caught off guard by a man who struck him violently on the head.
Neighbours raised the alarm. The emergency services transported the 61-year-old urgently to the casualty department of Santa Maria della Misericordia hospital in Udine, where he died shortly after admission due to severe head injuries. After the attack, the fugitive disappeared on foot across nearby fields, evading police before patrol units arrived.
Family motive: death threats three days earlier
The victim's sister, Laika, provided clarity on the background to the murder. The woman told investigators that she had ended her relationship with the attacker approximately one month earlier, a decision the man had never accepted. Three days before the incident, the ex-partner had turned up at Laika's workplace in an attempt to speak to her. When she refused, the man had explicitly threatened to kill her, shouting: "I will burn you." Unable to find the woman, he allegedly then targeted her 61-year-old brother.
A screwdriver was also found at the scene of the assault, but according to witnesses it had been used by the victim to defend himself, while the attacker wielded a knife. Witnesses present describe the man as wearing an orange shirt.
The brother-in-law: "He also threatened my son"
En Naboussi Allal, 63, also of Moroccan origin and the victim's brother-in-law, also spoke out. According to his account, on the day before the murder the attacker had smashed windows and slashed the tyres of his car while he watched from the window. "He had a knife and a hammer," Allal claims, specifying that he had already reported the situation to the carabinieri and had gone to the barracks. The man says he has lived in the area for approximately 35 years without ever having had any problems: "We are a working family, we have a son, we have done harm to no one."
At the root of the tensions, according to his account, were old grievances linked to the end of a romantic relationship with a family member. Regarding the brother-in-law who was attacked, he added: "I saw him in critical condition, they had managed to resuscitate him." The attacker also threatened to harm Allal's son: "I cannot sleep at night," he said.
Investigation underway, prosecutor at scene
State Police officers isolated the area on via Castions di Strada, whilst the carabinieri carried out the necessary investigations. Law enforcement launched a major manhunt to locate the fugitive in the area. Prosecutor Letizia Puppa attended the scene. The attacker remains at large. Neighbours, shaken by the incident, expressed their concern: "We are afraid."
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)