Video of Bologna arrest death fuels calls for police scrutiny in Italy
Abderrahim Fakir died after being restrained during an arrest in Bologna, prompting an autopsy, a formal investigation and political demands for answers.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
A video showing a man pinned face down during an arrest in Bologna has set off anger across Italy after he died while in police custody on Sunday.
Italian media identified the man as Abderrahim Fakir, 42, who was born in Morocco. Bologna police said officers had been called after reports that a man was behaving erratically and damaging parked cars.
Police said Fakir resisted two officers who tried to arrest him. According to the police account, officers used pepper spray while attempting to subdue him.
Witness videos filmed from nearby apartment buildings and widely shared on Italian television and social media show two officers and a third man holding Fakir on the ground after he had been handcuffed. In the footage, Fakir is heard calling for help and asking the officers to stop before he becomes unresponsive.
Emergency medical workers can be seen nearby during the struggle. After Fakir goes quiet, the officers finish binding his ankles, and medical personnel turn him over and appear to check his vital signs.
Prosecutors order autopsy
The Bologna prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation and ordered an autopsy to establish how Fakir died. Such inquiries are standard in Italy when a person dies during a police operation.
Investigators are expected to examine whether the way Fakir was restrained played a role in his death, or whether other factors, including a possible medical emergency or drug intoxication, were involved. The two officers will remain on duty while the investigation continues.
The footage has renewed debate in Italy over police use of force, especially prolonged prone restraint, where a person is held face down on the ground.
Annalisa Corrado, a leading figure in the opposition Democratic Party, called for investigators to establish the full facts. “We can’t stay silent in the face of a death of this magnitude, which happened while a man in difficulty was in the hands of the Police,” she said in a statement.
Corrado said the inquiry should determine “what really happened” and whether anyone bears responsibility. She also called for “serious work” on police training when restraint techniques are used.
Matteo Salvini, a deputy prime minister and leader of the right-wing Lega Party, appeared to back the police while urging the judiciary to move quickly. He said he wanted clarity “to prevent mud-slinging by people who do not understand what happened and have no respect for those who risk their lives to protect ours.” Salvini added: “Clearly, no one wanted anyone to die.”
Family demands answers
Italian media reported that Fakir ran a moving and cleaning business and employed several people. His sister, Khadija Fakira, said on social media that she would seek the truth about his death.
“They killed my brother in cold blood, without pity,” she said. “We want justice for my brother.”
Fakir’s older brother Mohamad told Italian media that he was “a good guy who never hurt anyone, and his death was ignoble.”
Attorney Barbara Spinelli told Italy’s ANSA news agency that she met Fakir at the end of 2025 when he contacted her because he feared deportation. She said his paperwork was in order and described him as “an extremely kind, polite, and respectful person.”
Police unions have urged the public not to reach conclusions based only on the videos, saying officers often have to make fast decisions in volatile situations.
Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore and the local Democratic Party called for people to gather Monday evening to “ask for truth and justice” over Fakir’s death.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.