A group of Moroccan men reportedly attacked an Italian couple before raping an 18-year-old and making her fiancé watch
Three Moroccan men have been arrested in Italy on suspicion of raping an 18-year-old woman while forcing her fiancé to watch, local media reported on Tuesday, citing police in Rome. The incident, which took place on October 25 in the Tor Tre Teste area of Rome, involved three suspects who attacked the couple inside a parked vehicle. The men reportedly smashed the car window, dragged the victims out, and subjected the woman to sexual assault while forcing her fiancé to observe. Charges of group sexual violence and robbery have been filed against the suspects, with police actively searching for other potential perpetrators.
Police sources indicated that the couple was inside a parked car when at least three men broke the window and dragged them out, according to reports from Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica. Two of the attackers reportedly pinned the 24-year-old man down while a third committed the act of rape. The suspects face charges of group sexual violence and robbery, with further investigations ongoing to determine the full extent of the crime.
This case marks the second reported sexual assault in recent months in the neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Rome, a region known for its crime and social challenges. The area has long been plagued by issues related to crime and urban decay, with incidents like this drawing increased attention to the safety concerns faced by residents.
Earlier this year, a 26-year-old Gambian man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 60-year-old woman. He had arrived in Italy as a migrant in 2016 and received humanitarian protection and residency permission in 2023. The suspect told police he was under the influence of drugs at the time, and he also faces investigation for another alleged sexual assault that occurred days earlier. Both incidents are now part of an ongoing legal process.
Incidents involving migrants have long fueled public concern across Europe. In the UK, Spain, Sweden, Germany, and other countries, high-profile sexual assaults and violent crimes have sparked protests, political debate, and calls for stricter immigration and public-safety measures. These events have often been used to argue for more stringent border controls and harsher penalties for individuals entering the continent illegally.
The decades-long migrant crisis is largely driven by conflict, poverty, and political instability in regions such as the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Western interventions, including local wars in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, as well as support for uprisings in Syria, have exacerbated the conditions, destabilizing governments and fueling violence. Consequently, many people have been forced to flee, making current migration challenges partly a legacy of past foreign policies.