Passengers Tackle Hammer-Wielding Man Who Set Milan Airport Check-In Ablaze

A man in the check‑in hall ignited a fire and started swinging a hammer at the desks and monitors at Milan Malpensa airport terminal 1 just before 11 a.m. local time this morning. Some bystanders thought they heard shots, which were the hammer blows on metal.

Smoke pushed across the hall. Fire response evacuated the area, and border police took the man in his mid-to-late 20s into custody after airport staff and a few passengers brought him down. The suspect is Malian origin, and faces aggravated damage charges.

Some coverage says he used a flammable liquid, which would be consistent with how fast the flames jump in the clips, but this is not confirmed.

No passenger injuries were reported. The terminal was evacuated for smoke only, then reopened while airlines continued processing passengers with modest delays.

We’ve seen attacks at airports prior to security in places like Brussels, Istanbul and LAX. A hammer never sees a checkpoint if you’re not airside, and a splash of accelerant turns any bin into a torch. In fact, long security lines create stable targets for attack. It’s unclear the motivation for today attack.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. That’s arson. Charge him.

    Immigration status is irrelevant. If a visitor or resident does this, it’s still a crime. The bad behavior is the problem, not the background of the bad actor. Don’t blame groups of people, that’d be harmfully prejudicial. I expect the typical animus, regardless…

  2. Italy has a large leftist contingent. The socialist judges will say that capitalism and racist Italian society caused this violent outburst and release this man with the apologies of the court.

  3. @Wesley — Ah, there it is… the tropes begin! As expected, some, such as yourself, rush to attack perceived political foes, ignoring the fact that Italy is currently governed by Meloni and her party, Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), in a coalition with the League (Lega) and Forza Italia, all of which follow right-wing and center-right ideologies. So, conveniently and predictably, you blame ‘the left,’ or whatever ‘boogeyman’ you can concoct, when they haven’t been in-charge for a while. Do better!

  4. Despite the obviously fake protestations, 1990 supports this action 100%

    “Oh no, those poor immigrants, they just don’t know any better than not burn down check-in at MXP”

  5. @Coolio — *yawn*

    Check the tape. All the time on here… when it’s a member of any particular group, whether by race, gender, ethnicity, etc., I am quick to comment that we should not prejudge the entire group; instead, focus on the bad actor, enforce applicable laws, follow due process, deter it from happening.

    Got anything better?

  6. Yes, you are a r*tarded leftist who is terrible at pattern recognition

    Among many other things

  7. @Coolio — If you say it a third time, maybe I would finally understand you… you know, ‘patterns.’

  8. I’m adept at pattern recognition, except when it comes to Gary’s filters

    That said, you’re still a retard, and should be banned from this platform for replying to yourself over and over, sometimes littering 50-75% of an entire comment section with your leftist idiocy

    But…you know…clicks

  9. Agree with 1990 and several other comments from all points of view on this article.

    No one was seriously harmed thank God & my primary concern is with the individual man himself. He obviously needs psychiatric help & I’m hoping he gets it. I think about his parents, spouse, children & his neighbors. The world appears to be spinning out of control & folks all over the world are simply losing it.

  10. @Johnmcsymthe — Your head and heart are in the right place. I’m grateful incidents like this are actually few and far between. I tend to think it is what happens with new technology (smartphones, internet, television, radio, printing press, etc.) I’d just like to fast-forward to our equivalent of the Peace of Westphalia, if you know you histories. Take care out there!

  11. @JCW — Ah, another one… fellas, it’s practically ‘hate speech’ at this point; you’re (likely intentionally) vilifying a group based on the misbehavior (criminal or otherwise) of an individual. All fun and games until you’re the one targeted, eh? …you really should know better.

  12. @Walter Barry — How much does the GRU pay you? Like, Tim Pool got hundreds of thousands of dollars, allegedly.

  13. @ Wesley — Maybe they can send this guy over to DC, which is filled with criminals. You know, it is one of the most dangerous places on earth, especially if you get near the fumes emanating from Diaper Donnie.

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