Shocking footage shows terrified holidaymakers fleeing as flames and smoke fill Terminal 1 at Malpensa.
Holidaymakers at one of Italy’s busiest airports were sent running for their lives after a man set fire to a check-in desk and smashed departure screens with a hammer.
Dramatic video circulating online captures the moment flames erupted at Milan Malpensa’s Terminal 1, sending thick black smoke billowing through the departure hall as passengers grabbed their luggage and fled.
The man, later identified as 28-year-old Aboubakar Traoré from Mali, poured flammable liquid onto check-in counter 13 before setting it alight. He then attacked digital screens and advertising displays with a hammer while travellers scattered in panic. Witnesses described flames reaching around two metres high.
One passenger can be heard shouting as people surge away from the fire. A man then grabs a fire extinguisher, strikes Traoré and knocks him to the floor. Several other travellers and airport staff pile on to pin him down until police arrive. A red extinguisher is left lying on the tiled floor as the struggle continues.
Traoré, who was not a passenger and had no boarding pass, held subsidiary international protection allowing him to live legally in Italy until 2027. He had been living in Milan and working as a cleaner. Days earlier he had tried to fly to Saudi Arabia but was stopped after authorities said his passport was fake. The day before the airport incident he was reported for smashing a shop window in Milan with a hammer.
Italian reports said some bystanders heard him shouting that he wanted a job. Investigators later treated the attack as an act of revenge against the airport after the denied flight. He later pleaded guilty and received a sentence of two years and ten months.
No passengers were seriously hurt. Firefighters evacuated part of the terminal as a precaution, but flights resumed after delays. Airport operator SEA said the electrical systems at the damaged desk were destroyed.
The footage, first shared in August 2025, has resurfaced and sparked fresh debate about security and migration at European airports. Police described Traoré as agitated at the time of the attack. He was arrested at the scene on charges of aggravated damage and arson.
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