The victim, a 43-year-old woman, was on her way to the office when she was stabbed with a kitchen knife around 9 a.m. The attacker fled and was arrested by the Carabinieri that evening. Sala: Incidents like this are unacceptable.

They stabbed me, these were the first words of a 43-year-old woman to the Carabinieri on Monday morning in Milan. She was attacked from behind and stabbed in the left side, around 9 am, in Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan, where she works for the Finlombarda company. She was immediately rescued by Areu 118 personnel. The weapon, a 30-centimeter-long kitchen knife, was lodged in the victim's left side. The husband, contacted by the police, rushed to the scene on his bicycle.  The hunt for the attacker immediately began: the Carabinieri released his images  to facilitate his capture. Around 8 pm, the announcement was made: the man was arrested by the Carabinieri. He had taken refuge in a hotel on Via Vitruvio, near the Central Station.

The ambulance and medical car immediately transported the woman, in critical condition, to the Niguarda hospital. She was immediately taken to the operating room, where she underwent surgery to reduce her injuries. Her condition, although she had never lost consciousness, was serious: the blade had lacerated her lung and spleen. Guido Bertolaso, the regional councilor for welfare, who was in contact with Niguarda, announced that, according to what was learned from the hospital management, the woman had received a stab wound to the back, which caused damage to her chest and abdomen. She was immediately operated on by specialists at the Trauma Center, led by Stefania Cimbanassi. The operation lasted approximately two hours. The patient's life is not currently considered to be in immediate danger; her prognosis remains guarded. She is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

Woman stabbed in Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan, images of the attack

The woman had arrived by subway at the Gioia station on the green line, and then reached Piazza Gae Aulenti by walking through the pedestrian paths that cross the Biblioteca degli Alberi. After attacking her, the attacker fled. He appears to have acted for no apparent reason. The Carabinieri's mobile radio unit is investigating to reconstruct the incident. The images from the cameras have been acquired. At the site of the stabbing, a small space between two of the square's skyscrapers, where there is a bike parking area, there are three cameras. The woman said she didn't see who stabbed her in the back.

The cameras captured a white-haired man, his face uncovered, wearing black sneakers, carrying a backpack and a shopping bag, who appeared to be in his fifties. According to initial reconstructions, the man was standing in the bicycle parking lot between the two buildings and, when the woman arrived, he struck her in the back. A search was launched immediately, and the attacker was successfully arrested by the Carabinieri around 8 pm in a hotel near the Central Station where he had taken refuge.

Woman stabbed in Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan, witness: Perhaps a robbery. Lots of people hang out here

Sala and Fontana

Milan's mayor, Beppe Sala, has remained in constant contact with law enforcement agencies as they seek to identify the perpetrator."Incidents of violence of this kind are unacceptable," the mayor stated."I express my deepest sympathy to the woman who was the victim of this act of violence and to her family. We hope she will recover quickly from the trauma and consequences of this event. I hope she is brought to justice as soon as possible." President Attilio Fontana, on behalf of the entire Regional Council, also expressed his solidarity with the victim."This incident has shocked us all," Fontana explained,"not only because this woman is part of our regional system, but also because of the dynamics that characterized it." "We also extend our heartfelt thanks," the governor concluded,"to the emergency responders and to those at Niguarda Hospital who intervened to care for the woman."