Overview
- The assault occurred around midday on the Rio Melo/Rio Salto route, where the attacker allegedly dragged the woman to a secluded area during a struggle in which she wounded his hand.
- The victim called the carabinieri, received treatment at Cesena’s Bufalini hospital, and was given a prognosis of several days as local reports note a red‑code protocol was activated.
- Carabinieri, coordinated by the Forlì prosecutor’s office, deployed multiple patrols and a helicopter and located the suspect in a shed roughly one kilometer from the scene.
- The 26-year-old Gambian national was arrested on suspicion of aggravated sexual violence and personal injuries and is being held pending a judicial validation hearing.
- Police records indicate prior complaints against the suspect for groping, while a senator claimed a deportation order was pending, a point not independently verified in the reports.