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Praxilla Trabattoni / NBC News
California native Nicholas Burnett, 20, stabbed in a pub in Rome where he was on his semester abroad studying at Temple University.
ROME — An American college student suffered a foot-long stab wound and a punctured lung when a mob of up to 50 masked men armed with knives and baseball bats suddenly charged English soccer fans and others in a piazza in Italian capital Rome, he told NBC News.
Local media initially blamed Thursday's attack on hard core fans or "Ultras" supporting soccer team Lazio — who played English team Tottenham on Thursday — but two fans of bitter rivals Roma were among a group of 15 detained for alleged involvement in attack, suggesting a different motive.
Witnesses told local media that the attackers shouted "Jews, Jews" as they laid siege to the bar in a district popular with tourists in an old quarter of Rome, raising fears of far-right, racist violence, Reuters reported.
Ten people were injured in the attack and 25-year old Ashley Mills, reportedly an English Tottenham supporter, was left in critical condition. Mills was still hospitalized on Friday, the wire service said.
Tried to run
Nicholas Burnett, 20, of Anaheim, Calif., told NBC News he was standing outside the bar with some friends when he saw "40 to 50 storm into the piazza."
At first, he said they looked "just like a bunch of guys wearing costumes," but the seriousness of the situation quickly became clear.
"Some were wearing helmets, others had scarves covering their faces and all of them were carrying weapons, of all sorts. Sticks, bats, wooden planks, some were swinging their thick belts with heavy buckles," Burnett said.
"All of a sudden they started charging towards the bar. I tried to run away from them and one of the guys broke away from the crowd and took a swing at me over the head with what I though was a baseball bat," he said.
"But judging by my wound it was not a baseball bat, but more like a knife. I ran as fast as I could away from them. ... A couple of minutes later, I realized I was bleeding when I touched my back and felt the T-shirt all wet," he added.
Yara Nardi / Reuters
A pub is seen damaged after a fight in downtown Rome on Thursday.
As he fled, he met two students from John Cabot University, who tried to hail a taxi to take him to hospital, but the first driver "refused to take me in his car because I was all bloodied and still bleeding profusely," Burnett said.
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Burnett, who is on a semester abroad at Temple University in Rome, where he is studying business and Italian, was stabbed in the upper-right side of his back down to his left side, he told NBC. The stabbing punctured his right lung, he said.
"I had so many stitches that when I asked the doctors how many they were, they weren't even able to tell me. They simply said, 'Too many,'" he said.
'Very, very scared'
Burnett said he was initially unable to speak to the police because of the pain, but said he had been getting "great care" from medical staff.
"I would like to tell my friends and family back at home that I am OK," he said. "Although I was very, very scared."
Burnett said the attackers moved in unison like "clockwork."
"I don't know how they organized it so well, but that's what made it so scary ... to see them all coming at once threateningly waving what appeared to be makeshift weapons," he said.
Complete Europe coverage on NBCNews.com
He said the attackers were "hurling anything they could find ... including chairs, tables, stools, bottles, shards from the broken windowpanes, bottles, glasses," he said.
Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno has expressed deep concern about the attack and said he hoped the police would quickly track down those responsible.
"We were all just having a drink, we weren't there for the football (soccer). I don't care for football at all and I don’t know anything about it," Burnett said.
NBC News' Ian Johnston and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
amazing how much trauma the human body can withstand. I mean he ran with a punctured lung and didn't even realize it until much later. I'm sad to hear this happened in a very popular tourist destination, or anywhere for that matter. I have 2 friends in Rome right now, and hope they are all right. They better find those bastards...
Nothing unusual. Anyone would act similarly if their life is in mortal danger.
His reaction is called an adrenalin rush ( fight or flee response ). One does what one must do to survive . Combat vets know it all to well. That is what keeps most of them alive to do what must be done. It is also the main player in PTSD. The root cause if you will.
It is still amazing.
what's the condition of the other patrons in the bar? why no news about them?
At what point do we all realize AGAIN, that the folks in Italy are just plain idiots? Did we forget their logical reasoning for putting themselves in the position they found themselves in during WWII? Why one would even go to this hellhole to visit, study, or anything, is beyond me. The mob still controls the government there, the presidents they "elect" can't keep their cocks in their own wives, and their soccer fans are just plain mentally challenged. Maybe Israel will blow them up next, hopefully.
It's clear who the idiot is, the frightened little American Xenophobe. Crawl back under your ignorant rock, Tired.
If the rock is your mom, I am already there. You must be a stupid Italian. Go F yourself, grease ball.
How can you consider yourself educated if you think travelling the world is a bad thing?
Reported.
Coming to a city near you....Like we don't have idiot's....just look at Congress from both sides
Truly you are the uneducated. Go crawl back in the hole you came from.
Tyler: Can you please delete TiredoftheUnEducated account? His post at #2.2 went way off the wall.
Looks like free speech prevails again. Sorry Monkey, you lose. Now go eat a banana.
Me thinks Uneducated is either a tweenager, or was shorted in the meat department. Bitter idiot.
When in Rome do as Romans do. Romans would disperse quickly if they saw a bunch of masked men together.
Kinda hard when you are in a bar and the door is blocked by your attackers.
Lucky you're alive, lad (due to your quick thinking) but don't let it deter you from your studies. After surviving an attack on the Knesset while I was studying abroad in Israel and getting injured in the violence there, I know what I'm saying when I state that it DOES build character. We are, after all, the culmination of our life's experience.
Prayers to A. Mills for a recovery, even though it seems you support the Tottenham Spuds. No one should have to suffer like this when they go to watch their team, no matter who it is that they support.
And em.... Go Arsenal!
The Human condition: it's been going on now for about several thousand years with solutions called "government", "moral behavior" taught in religions, cultural behavior within groups, and sociopath behavior because of emotional/mental disfunction. We are still a biological organism with the added problem of self awareness and thought. Either become Nihilistic or Enlightened....those are the real choices.
daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang !!
too bad nobody else is gonna get your drift.....
peace!
Love it!
I think I sense a master's thesis topic in social psychology. And considering that as a culture, we are facing self-annihilation due to climate change and nuclear proliferation, those literally might be the only choices. Great post.
Something about stupid people in large numbers...
OK, not going to that country, like ever.
Yes, this will do wonders for Italian tourism. There are students who are considering whether to study abroad in coming years. How might this affect their decision? A few well-publicized incidents like this will absolutely crush the remnants of the Italian economy.
Employees of Chrysler - beware. Your future is tied to Italy now. These skinheads are attacking your livelihood.
Uh, how many gangs are there in American cities?
Forest....trees....!
domewars,
look at your paper everyday, look at the stabbings, shootings, in your state, country. And like, don't go there ever. Like just stay inside, dude
Huh, last I heard of gangs of 50 people attacking a group in this way was probably in the 40s in Canada. But, I'Ve heard of such a thing quite often in Italy and Greece. This will affect tourism for sure.
the best crimes (everything you can imagine, or not) occur in the best neighborhoods, families..............
I would go there.... if i was allowed to carry my firearm
It's just a game. If anyone's head is so messed up that they can't understand that games are played, not fought over, then I suggest someone put a bullet in it.
How ironic...
Unfortunately, it is as close to street religion as you get in Europe. It is also more popular than religion in much of the World, though the US & Canada do not share the level of popularity anywhere so deeply for "football", as related to this story. We just have violence for other stupid reasons here.
Here is a good piece that does justice to The Game.
Soccer - New World Encyclopedia
Violence is generally perpetuated by azzhats, whether soccer is involved or not. But as usual, it is a small minority that pull these shenanigans.
That was clearly not over the game. Ultras rarely carry weapons - you can't go in the stadium with a bat... And usually they fight before or after the game, not during.
To me, that sound more like Skinheads kind of attack.
Stuff like that happen everywhere. In the US there are riots after collage basketball/football games, gang related shootings, bar fights... I dare you too look up the murder rate in Rome and compare it to any other US city of similar size.
Notsojingo, there's no irony present. Somebody tries to kill an individual they don't know, they have never seen before, and without reason. I wan't that type of person removed from society permanently. It would be ironic if I stated "all violence is bad, put a bullet in this guy's head." And I never said anything bad about Soccer, only statement I made was calling it a game, because it is a game.
Liberal, I'll have to trust you that it probably wasn't over a soccer match because I have little knowledge on that subject myself, I still want a bullet in the guy's head. To be clear, I never said the U.S. murder rate is lower, big assumption there. I can't criticize people for comitting a horrible act if there's a spot in the world where horrible acts are more frequent?
So much for controlling hooliganism in the land of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations).... These Yobs probably thought Mr. Burnett was a Spurs fan - but then they probably were drunk off their rear ends... Kind of like the racist crap in Serbia, and even the Stamford Bridge (Chelsea)
A $%^$-up scenario all round. If this kind of crap continues, UEFA can probably kiss hosting the 2026 and 2030 World Cups bye-bye...
Hopefully the Rome Prosecutors can grab these a-holes and stuff them for 50..... A sad, sad failure for the beautiful Game.
I wish Mr. Burnett a speedy recovery.
.... From a fellow CA native... and a Gunners Fan.
Liberal Libertarian:
First I LOVE the game of (Association) Football far more than the Gridiron - and that takes guts to say that in the heartland -
That said, the beautiful game DOES have some problems.
True, the ultras of today are nowhere near what the LUSC, Red Army, The urchins, the Inter city firm, etc. did in the 1980's. But to say there is NOT a problem is denying reality. There is a HUGE difference between the European Ultras and the suburban "Pid Army" types from Aurora, Westminster, Northglenn, etc. The crap in Serbia on the U-21 match, Italy's tail-spinning economy, Spain's depression is making the conditions RIPE for trouble.
Lets hope this gets sorted out - and fast....
To make matters worse they attacked an innocent young woman and she is still in critical condition. These people need to be executed. Too bad none of the shop owners had a gun.
I surmise that these thugs had little to do with soccer revenge, and could not argue the doling out of street justice would not be unprecedented, but do find it ironic you would associate these guys action with any kind of game or sport.
Not racking at you, just saying wow, I would feel the same way if I was attacked by these punks. I have no qualms with defensive aggression and hope these culprits are dealt justice. But if you are ready to put a bullet in their heads literally, well then there you go!
Peace
As the economy in Italy continues to tank, you'll be seeing more and more of this uncontrolled rage. Soccer is just an excuse - the lack of hope is the spark igniting this violence. But instead of taking it out on the politicians, where the outrage belongs, these scummy cowards take it out on innocent businesses and people.
Reminds me of the University of Oregon and Washington State fans. They have got to be some of the worst in the nation in how they treat visiting players and fans.
Sounds like a USC fan.
So let me get this straight. Some soccer team in Italy plays a British team and because one team lost the town goes crazy and is ready to murder any Jews they stumble across. Seriously? And it appears to be such an accepted part of European life that the best the local mayor can do is express deep concern. Wow. That should fix things.
I can tell you as a husband and father of two teenage boys that this type of shameful behavior doesn't just happen. What on earth are European parents teaching their children and what do they think will happen in 20 or 30 years? Is there not an ounce of decency left on that god-forsaken continent?
But the anti-Muslim sentiment all over the USA is ok, right?
SteveYo
But the anti-Muslim sentiment all over the USA is ok, right?
----
No, but being opposed to morons like you is a very good idea.
Anti anything but Catholic sentiment if you would ponder the geographical district this violence occurred in. The Catholics would be against the Anglicans and the Jews, and the Muslims, which just goes to show the general failure that religion is to large metropolitan areas in this day and age. The Anglican's just recently voted down women in leadership positions in their Church. The Catholics have no room for women in leadership positions in their church, nor do the Muslims... and on and on and on. Thus you have populations of young people who have no functioning leadership in the spiritual realm, the economic realm, nor the political realm, and no education which can be applied to their future well being either. They blame others for their own shortcomings in education, talent, creativity and similar desirable traits, because it's hard for them to grasp that the rest of the world does not care, nor desire their value concepts of the afterlife... which in itself is the only value many of them have to hang on to.
Frankly,we could live without muslims
Frankly, we could live without religion.
mike198...whaaaaever.........
most european countries are far more educated and progressive than your own......but of course you'll never learn that.......you oh so average american.........
Frankly, we could live without any group. Including any one you may associate with. Blanket judgements like yours are what makes people violent to others. So why not try and think that out.
Alex... Look at the number of women stabbed by their husbands and boyfriends in Rome. These stabbings occur across economic class lines, so it's a cultural thing, not related to education and progressive ideals you espouse. The use of a dagger has a very long history in Italy. They should trade in their daggers and books on the glory days of Italian merchants trading for North African goods, which they would then supply to the rest of Europe. There isn't much of value coming out of North Africa either, these days. What does is probably trying to avoid Italian organized crime.
Mike: Tottenham Hotspur historically was a Jewish-led club and a leading club it that. it still has a Jewish Owner and they sometimes still sing Jewish songs like Havah Nagilah (It is time to Rejoice) in their home ground, White Heart Lane, in London. And you are right in inferring this is no excuse for antisemitism whatsoever - hopefully I just put a little context in to the picture..... and I am an Arsenal Supporter.
The Europa League is kind of like the Non-BCS bowls games we have here - not the best teams so the tickets are a LOT cheaper, thus you get a lot of people from the more rough-and tumble areas of Europe. It would be a lot like giving Gary, IN; Flint, MI, and Tyler, TX a professional football team...
In Rome you can be fined up to $425 for eating a sandwich in public. The Italian courts love to invent charges against American students when anything out of the ordinary happens. Italy is the home of the Cosa Nostra. Italy has had one of the most unstable governments since World War One. Why go there in the first place?
"invent charges against American students"
...and how is this even remotely related to the article?
If you have to ask "Why go there in the first place?", then that says quite a bit about you.
steveyo.....chant with me(RE: math...whaaaaever..) ............loooooooooow...iiiiinfoooormaaaaaatiiiioooon voooooooter.....
How soon we forget what happened to Amanda Knox.
sticks and bat's heh? Pfft. Someone needs to bust out the tasers or salted buckshot. A couple thugs twitching uncontrollably on the ground does a lot for convincing their bff's.
Knives---the victims were stabbed.
I like the salted buckshot idea just add in an AA-12.
Having lived in Italy three years I have never seen this kind of behavior from Italians except from the Italian Communist Pary riots in the Naples area. I think Italian people are like people everywhere. I'm not sure the Carbinari or Polizia will be able to infiltrate this group. It looks like a great deal of planning was involved with an anti-Semitic theme as purpose or a cover. I'm surprised by this violence!
Masked morons attacking Christian British and Americans while shouting "Jews!, Jews!".
Hopefully, those who were the most seriously wounded will survive.
But then, are those masked men any worse than the morons who use this messageboard to post anti-American hatred? No, they are equally bad.
um.. yeah, they are. Posting garbage on the internet is slightly less damaging than stabbing someone with a knife.
I agree with your sentiment that anyone posting anti-ANYONE hatred is a massive tool, but it's not exactly a crime (in the US). Disgusting, yes - but not equivalent to attempted murder.
When people are attacked violently, they form an opinion of the attacker, their nationality, religion, race, and they respond in kind through other negligble actions. Doesn't make it okay, and it doesn't make it right.
However, if you are in a western country and all of a sudden are attacked by a radical moslem group, are you supposed to cheer or applaud them? Didn't say this group was Moslem...Said if attacked by a moslem group, like the 9-11 hijackers and the WTC, Pentagon, and flight 93.
The only way to stamp out an insurgency is kill off its leaders and reeducate its followers. Which is more difficult than many believe.
I have visited Italy many times and lived in northern Italy for a while.
Italy like all countries have their idiot faction. The US has crazy sports idiots as well.
Check out what happens after many of our football games.
Knowing that soccer in Europe is almost more important than business and politics
and that fights, riots do happen often then it is good thinking to generally not to go to their games.
people who travel know the vast majority of Italians are friendly and not crazy as5wipes.
Punishment is too lenient for these types of behaviour. Make examples of everyone arrested in these mob attacks as they are not deserving to breathe free air.
Don't go where you are not wanted. To a rival soccer game or anywhere near it. Since this has been going on forever and continues which means the local authorities have done absolutely nothing to curtail it, stay away. People have twisted and demented minds to attack others over a damn game. I mean you go home after attacking someone and state to whomever " I just killed someone that looked like an English soccer fan". If you live for that what the hell good are you in life? The answer is zero, a nothing.
Could this have had anything to do with the anniversary of Kristallnacht? Sounds like similar behavior by similarly-minded idiots.
Kind of... but Kristallnacht's anniversary was two weeks ago - just looked it up - but then Nazis are stupid w***ers to begin with...
What concerns me more is the cry "Jews, Jews"....ahhhh yes...brings me back in time...hmmm, yes....blaming the Jews for the unemployment...lack of money....here we go again....unbelievable....I hope the woman is ok...and glad to hear that this boy made it ok....I lived in Italy and loved it...loved the Italians....very hard to understand this
Must have been some University of Oregon Duck fans on vacation in Rome.
The stupidity of sports fans/Nazis never ceases to amaze me.
never have played with balls, have you ???
And we're dumb for not calling soccer football
Cowards. People that put on masks as cover to their identity when attacking people they do not know are for sure in the company of evil and worthless people. The term MOB was used in the article and usually applies to organized crime but as violent as that group can be they do not engage in this type of random violence.
...to most of the planet, soccer IS football....
Life is getting more risky for rich American college kids overseas. The armed crowd yelled, Jews, Jews... No surprise Israel is hated more than Tottenham.
seriously.........we weren't exactly talking Chelsea FC here.........lol
You don't have to be rich to study overseas...Many schools have programs for studying abroad...
No Alex - maybe they were talking Arsenal.... And Di Matteo Got fired by Chelsea this week.... sad.... CFC is the Dallas cowpies of the Prem.....