A Bangladeshi national was killed in Pisa, Italy after being punched in the head while walking in the city centre in an attack characterised as the so-called “knockout game,” Italy-based English newspaper The Local reported yesterday.
The deceased was identified as Zakir Hoassini by the newspaper.
Zakir, who had been working as a waiter, died on Tuesday “after 24 hours of agony” following the unsolicited attack.
The so-called “knockout game” is a vicious street-game craze that originated in the US, whereby passers-by are punched for the fun of it.
According to the report, the “murder” has caused uproar among Pisa’s Bangladeshi community, who rallied on the spot on Tuesday night, demanding “justice.”
An estimated 1,500 people, including the Bangladeshi ambassador, are mulling to hold another march protesting the “killing” today.
Police are said to be “close to finding the attacker,” who they believe was a young Italian man with a “hefty” physique, the news website reported.
According to the report, the attacker and his gang was caught on surveillance camera provoking Hoassini, a father of three, and then punching him. The gang, thought to be aged between 25 and 35, later left the spot.
However, the reason behind the attack could not be known immediately.
Hoassini had been in Italy since 2009 and was a waiter in an Indian restaurant for the past two years.