A New Year's Eve party at a club on the Italian island of Sicily ended in violence: A young Tunisian man was beaten to death after he allegedly made inappropriate comments to a girl. The suspects – three Romanians – were arrested.
A 30-year-old Tunisian man has reportedly been killed at a New Year's Eve party in a night club on the Italian island of Sicily. Carabinieri police found him after being alerted by witnesses.
The Tunisian national was allegedly beaten and then attacked with a switchblade by a group of Romanians. His body was found at the entrance of the club called 'La Dolce Vita' in the Sicilian town of Vittoria.
The night club is reportedly a popular venue for many of the migrants who live and work in the greenhouses in the region.
Attacked for talking to girl
At the time of the incident, many of the migrants who had come for the traditional New Year's Eve party had reportedly already left the venue.
The victim is said to have been paying a lot of attention and making comments to a Romanian girl, which is believed to have sparked the violent reaction of the girls' fellow countrymen.
According to some eyewitness accounts, at least three men were waiting for the Tunisian man at the entrance of the club, where they attacked him with knives and rasp bars, which is a tool used in agriculture.
By the time Carabinieri police and paramedics arrived, the man was already dead. He did not have documents on him but was later identified as 30-year-old Slimane Marouene following initial investigations.
Three men arrested, two minors
The three alleged killers of Marouene were arrested on the night from Sunday to Monday. Two of them were reportedly minors.
They were all brought to a local police station where they were questioned by the deputy prosecutor in charge. By the end of the questioning, the oldest individual reportedly admitted his guilt.
The 'La Dolce Vita' club, which employs Romanians, has been the site of further violent incidents in the past.
Mayor calls for 'extraordinary measures'
Following Marouene's death, the mayor of Vittoria, Francesco Aiello, called for extraordinary measures to try to counter violence in the city.
"Another very serious crime and act of violence took place in our territory," Aiello said, adding that the rate of violence continued to increase "at a tremendous rate."
The mayor called for a stronger presence of law enforcement and extraordinary measures, such as a ban to temporarily exclude from certain local areas individuals engaging in behavior considered a possible threat to public order, safety, morality or decency.
The mayor also called for "increasing the capacity" of local police.