Shocking CCTV footage has emerged of a brutal, unprovoked knife attack in Milan in which a 55-year-old Italian man was stabbed around 20 times outside a bar
The attacker, 22-year-old Lamin Saidilly, an Italian national of Gambian heritage who spent around a decade living in the UK, was arrested shortly after the savage assault on Saturday morning.
The victim, Gerardo P., known as Gerry, was enjoying breakfast with his 78-year-old father outside the La Giada bar on via Alfonso Capecelatro in the San Siro district when he was set upon from behind.
Wearing a black balaclava, Saidilly produced a 21cm knife and rained down approximately 20 blows to the victim’s head, neck, chest and abdomen with no warning and no apparent motive. Bystanders, including the victim’s father and two Egyptian workers, rushed to intervene and helped restrain the attacker until police arrived.
Gerardo P. was rushed to Niguarda Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. He remains in a serious but stable condition, sedated with internal injuries. Doctors say he is no longer in immediate life-threatening danger and is expected to recover.
After his arrest, Saidilly reportedly told officers: “I had fun. As soon as I get out, I’ll do it again.”The 22-year-old has been charged with attempted aggravated murder.
In court, he exercised his right to silence and his lawyer claimed he remembers nothing about the attack.
The horrifying incident has sparked outrage in Italy, with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini posting on social media: “Shocking words. Did he enjoy it and would he do it again? Well then, let him never leave prison!”
What makes the case even more alarming for British viewers is Saidilly’s previous brush with the law on UK soil.
In November 2023, while living in the UK, the then 19-year-old was charged with wounding with intent and robbery after stabbing a 25-year-old man outside The Spinning Wheel pub in Admiral Street, Hunslet Moor, Leeds. The victim suffered serious injuries.
Saidilly had lived in Britain for around ten years before returning to Italy at the end of 2025. He had been working as a warehouse operative in Conegliano Veneto before a family dispute saw him head to Milan in late June this year.
Italian authorities are now working with UK police via international channels to establish the full extent of his criminal record while in Britain.'
The case has raised fresh questions about how repeat violent offenders with foreign connections are allowed to move freely across Europe.
Saidilly was born in Italy but spent a significant portion of his adult life in the UK, where he committed a serious stabbing. He was then free to return to the continent and carry out an even more frenzied attack just months later.
The CCTV footage, which has been widely shared online, shows the sheer brutality of the assault, the masked attacker lunging repeatedly at the defenceless victim while he lay on the ground.
Witnesses described scenes of panic and blood everywhere as customers tried to drag the knifeman away.
Saidilly’s chilling words to police, boasting he enjoyed the attack and would happily do it again, will horrify decent people on both sides of the Channel.
While Italian authorities must now ensure he faces the full force of the law and remains behind bars, the case also highlights wider failures in how European countries deal with violent criminals who cross borders.
