Rome – Following the knife attack in Rome on a 66-year-old teacher, the Carabinieri are investigating whether online contacts incited the 13-year-old student to commit the crime or helped him plan it. On Friday morning, September 18, at the Giovanni Verga Middle School in the Centocelle neighborhood, the teenager first attacked his Italian teacher, Isabella Marsilio, with pepper spray and then stabbed her three times with a knife. A classmate stopped him. The teacher survived and has been discharged from the hospital.
Investigators seized several digital devices and are reconstructing the boy’s contacts on Telegram and TikTok. During the incident, his phone was connected via video call to a small group. The recorded footage later appeared online; some of the accompanying text was written in Cyrillic. Shortly before the attack, the student had announced in a larger chat group that the others should follow the news later. It remains unclear whether individual users encouraged the attack.
What Investigators Are Looking Into Following the Knife Attack in Rome
The focus is now on the identities of the individuals in the video call, how the video of the crime ended up online, and possible connections to extremist online groups. Investigators are also looking into whether the teenager received specific instructions regarding the choice of knives, the use of pepper spray, or the use of these platforms. His social media account, which has since been closed, had more than 4,300 followers. Additional knives and airsoft guns were found at his parents’ home. However, these findings alone do not yet prove organized incitement.
The 13-year-old is being treated at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of the Policlinico Umberto I. Because children under the age of 14 are not criminally liable in Italy, the juvenile justice system will not impose a traditional punishment. Instead, the court is considering educational measures, supervision by social services, or temporary placement in a residential facility. These decisions will also be based on medical assessments of the boy’s condition.
