The Moroccan Abd al-Rahim Fakir was killed at the age of 42 by the Italian police on Sefifo Street in the Biella Stru neighborhood in Bologna last Friday.<\/p>\n
His death has become the focus of two separate investigations: the first judicial led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bologna, and the second internal conducted by the local health authority regarding the intervention of the 118 emergency responders.<\/p>\n
According to local reports, the painful and alarming screams coming from the garages area on Sefifo Street No. 6 pierced the midday calm in the Biella Stru neighborhood. Abd al-Rahim repeatedly shouted, “Help me! Help me!” and “Enough!” in a voice that gradually weakened until it completely faded away.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses recorded the scene with multiple mobile phone videos, showing the man lying on the ground, surrounded by two police officers.<\/p>\n
According to police reports, events began with a report from local residents about a man acting violently and causing a disturbance. Two officers went to the scene, where an initial argument ensued with Abd al-Rahim, who appeared agitated. The officers called the 118 ambulance team for assistance in restraining him.<\/p>\n
During this time, the man caused damage to a car, and the situation escalated into a physical confrontation. The officers pinned Abd al-Rahim to the ground, tied his feet with plastic restraints, handcuffed his hands, and sprayed pepper spray on him to calm him down, while pressing his head towards the ground with the help of a local resident to overcome his resistance.<\/p>\n
The painful screams continued for several minutes before the man lost consciousness. The 118 responders only intervened after he was entirely unconscious on the ground, raising serious questions about the timing and manner of their intervention.<\/p>\n
It appears that the death resulted from cardiac arrest, but the exact cause is still under investigation.<\/p>\n
Public Prosecutor Domenico Ambrosino ordered a comprehensive investigation to reveal the precise circumstances surrounding Abd al-Rahim Fakir\u2019s death. The investigation includes a full autopsy, reviewing all body camera recordings from the participating officers, as well as the videos recorded by witnesses that documented the entire incident including a \u201clive broadcast.\u201d<\/p>\n
The forensic police and specialized teams, including DIGOS, collected all necessary evidence, and testimonies from numerous witnesses were obtained.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the local health authority in Bologna opened an internal investigation specifically regarding the actions of the 118 responders. This investigation focuses on the time it took for them to arrive and their method of intervention, especially since the videos show their response coming relatively late after the victim lost consciousness.<\/p>\n
So far, the involved officers have not been suspended from duty, but the public prosecutor’s office is closely monitoring their situation, and they are expected to be included in the suspects’ registry in the coming days as a routine procedure in such cases.<\/p>\n
Who is Abd al-Rahim?<\/p>\n
He was born in 1983 in Morocco and was about to turn 43 next October. He had lived legally in Italy for seven years and was residing in Borgonuovo in the municipality of Sasso Marconi, where he worked in a freight transport and shipping company. He was married and had a minor criminal record related to drug possession and trafficking and resisting arrest in the past, but he was well-known in the Biella Stru neighborhood and had many friends.<\/p>\n
According to his brother Muhammad and sister Khadija, Abd al-Rahim was in Biella Stru that day “to greet a friend.” Family members who gathered at the scene described him as “a kind man who never harmed anyone in his life and died an undignified death.”<\/p>\n
The family confirmed that he suffered from asthma and chronic heart problems, which may be related to his death during the restraint and physical pressure.<\/p>\n
The family’s anger was clearly expressed to the media. His sister Khadija cried out: “They killed him. They showed no mercy towards my brother, and he died in handcuffs. Now we want justice and vengeance.” His brother Muhammad said: “He was just asking for help, and he rarely stirred up trouble, but they showed no mercy to my brother, and he died an inhumane death. We demand the truth and justice.”<\/p>\n\n