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The Piazza del Duomo on New Year's Eve
Photo: MATTEO CORNER / EPA
Police in Milan and Turin caught two men in the course of alleged sexual assault on several women during New Year's Eve celebrations in Milan.
According to the newspaper »Repubblica«, the 18- and 21-year-olds were arrested because there was a risk of escape.
In the suspects' homes in the two cities, data carriers and items of clothing were found that were linked to the incidents, said the Italian Ministry of the Interior.
The authorities had previously identified 18 suspects and searched several buildings.
The police accuse one of those arrested of having sexually molested two young women and stealing from a third.
The second arrested person allegedly molested four women and stole something from a fifth.
According to the police, the entire group of suspects consists of Italian and foreign nationals between the ages of 15 and 21.
According to "Repubblica", a judge now has to decide whether to order the two arrested persons in custody.
Nine young women, including two 20-year-old tourists from Germany, according to the Ansa news agency, said they were sexually molested by groups of young men on New Year's Eve in Milan's central Piazza del Duomo.
The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation.
Investigators identified the suspects on the basis of images from surveillance cameras, entries in online networks and testimonies.
"I had 15 hands on me"
One of the victims of the attacks told the Italian news agency Ansa: “We tried to push them away, my friend hit and slapped them, but they laughed and kept attacking us.
I had 15 hands on me. "
The attacks have been making headlines in Italy for days, with Milan's Mayor Beppe Sala calling the alleged attacks "not worthy of our city".
The incidents are reminiscent of New Year's Eve 2015/2016 in Cologne.
At that time there had been mass sexual assaults against women and other crimes such as theft around the main train station and the cathedral.
fek / AFP