A 21-year-old Bangladeshi national, Pranto Hawlader, has been ordered to remain in custody by an Italian judge following the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Gambian Alagie Sabally.
The incident took place on Sunday afternoon inside the kitchen of a restaurant at Masseria Adinolfi, a countryside venue in the Sant’Angelo in Formis district of Capua, Caserta, where a public event was underway.
According to Italian authorities, the two young men both employed at the restaurant were involved in a physical altercation during which Sabally was fatally wounded with a pair of scissors. Pranto, who was arrested shortly after the incident, told police he had acted in self-defence.
At a court hearing on Monday in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Pranto repeated that claim. Appearing alongside his lawyer, Paolo Di Furia, he said he and Sabally had argued and that he used the scissors to protect himself after being punched. The two reportedly knew each other from a social services community in Italy where both had previously stayed as unaccompanied minors.
In a later version presented during the hearing, Pranto claimed that Sabally took the scissors from him during the struggle and may have accidentally stabbed himself. He told the court that the 17-year-old was holding the scissors incorrectly with the blade facing toward his own body and may have unintentionally caused the fatal wound while trying to strike him.
The presiding judge, Daniela Vecchiarelli, rejected the account and deemed it implausible. She also raised concerns about inconsistencies in witness statements and the fact that the scissors were washed after the incident, leaving only faint traces of blood.
Restaurant staff offered conflicting testimony. Emanuela Adinolfi, who works at the venue and is the daughter of the owner, said she saw the two men arguing and saw Pranto holding the scissors. She intervened and sustained a minor injury but did not witness the actual stabbing. Her father, Andrea Adinolfi, said he entered the kitchen after the altercation began and found the two men struggling, but did not see any weapon.
An autopsy on Sabally’s body is scheduled to determine the nature and severity of the injuries, which prosecutors say will be key in understanding whether the use of force was defensive or deliberate.
Pranto remains in prison in Santa Maria Capua Vetere. His lawyer said he is “shocked and distraught” over the incident and continues to insist that he had no intention of killing Sabally.
Alagie Sabally, originally from The Gambia, had been living in Italy as a minor under the care of the state. His death has sparked concern within the Gambian community in Italy, with calls for a full and transparent investigation.
The case is being handled by the Prosecutor’s Office of Santa Maria Capua Vetere.
