Italy: Fatal Stabbing Outside Disco: Two Tunisians in Custody

Hat tip Gates of Vienna

On May 4, in the town of Castelfranco (Treviso), a fight broke out between two groups of youths outside a disco. When it was over, a 20-year-old named Loreanzo Cristea was dead, and another boy was seriously injured with stab wounds. Two young men described as North Africans were chased down by club security and held for the Carabinieri.

The article below from the local news outlet, Treviso Today, is translated by Fousesquawk. Note that in the Hungarian English-language site, Remix, the victims are described as Italians of Romanian origin and the arrestees are identified as Tunisians.  

Homicide in Castelfranco/Castelfranco Veneto

The proprietor of the disco speaks: “We knew them all as good boys.”

Cristian Simioni is the proprietor of the Playa Beach Club in Castelfranco. On May 4, he was in the club when he was advised of the fight. “When we arrived in via Pagnana, they were still hitting each other. Then the two North Africans fled. We caught up with them (and held them) waiting for the arrival of the Carabinieri. They didn’t say a word.”

“It was an incredible shock. It is the first time that such a tragedy has happened outside one of our clubs. At this point, it is proper to stop and reflect. We will be closed next weekend.” Speaking is Cristian Simioni, proprietor of the Playa Beach Club disco in Castelfranco, near which, on Sunday, May 4, occurred the fatal stabbing of Lorenzo Cristea, a 20-year-old from Trebasaleghe. Simioni, who was at the club on that evening, retraces those frightful moments. “The disco,” he explains, “was almost at closing time. Inside the hall, we noticed that the victim’s group and two Maghrebian boys (Badr Rouaji, 19, and Taha Bennani, 21, editor’s note) were involved in a very heated argument. Frankly, I don’t know why the argument broke out, but our surveillance and security people intervened, telling them all to go outside and leave the club. The knives? They were certainly hidden somewhere outside. Our entrances are also controlled thanks to metal detectors.”

“The two groups,” Simioni continues, “went outside, one a few minutes after the other. The friends of Lorenzo, while leaving, reportedly said they intended to take a walk in Jesolo. I presume the others were going home. The fight occurred  800 meters from our club. We received a call from one of our customers, and we immediately ran to see. When our personnel arrived in via Pagnana, the violent scuffle was already in progress. But when they noticed our presence, Badr and Taha ran off and were followed by our bouncers. They tried to hide but were found and taken to the disco to await the Carabinieri. The whole time, they didn’t say a word.”

Simioni says that the young men involved in the fight were regular customers at his clubs. “The two who are being investigated for homicide, “he says.”We saw them quite regularly for the past 8 months, the others, perhaps, for longer, and they came almost every week. They never caused any type of problem, either inside the disco, nor outside. What happened is really incredible.”

Simioni has announced that on Saturday at Arias, a club also located at Castelfranco, an evening event will be organized dedicated to the theme of safety. “We want to contribute, not just with mere affirmations of principle, but also by doing something concrete. We will involve experts in the field, concentrating above all on prevention.”