An eight-year-old boy wearing a yarmulke was violently attacked on Thursday while walking with his mother on Via Nazionale, a central street in Rome, according to Italian media reports.

The attacker, identified as a 33-year-old Egyptian national, was arrested shortly after the incident. Authorities tracked him down using surveillance footage from nearby businesses.

According to reports, the suspect suddenly confronted the boy and began shouting at him. When the child attempted to hide behind his mother and shield his face with his hands, the man grabbed him and launched a brutal assault, kicking and punching him.

The boy’s mother and a shopkeeper intervened as the assailant pulled a broken bottle from his pocket and threatened them with the sharp glass before fleeing the scene.

Police, including anti-terrorism units, quickly identified and apprehended the suspect, who was still carrying the broken bottle at the time of his arrest.

Investigators revealed that he was a migrant living on the streets of Italy, having recently arrived after being turned away at the borders of France and Belgium. The suspect has been charged with attempting to mutilate a child and two women.

Authorities have not yet filed charges related to a specific motive.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)