Police raid homes of Milan riot suspects with city braced for more protests

Italy’s DIGOS special-operations division carried out raids after last weekend’s violent unrest in Milan. Officers searched the homes of approximately 100 suspected participants, including 51 minors. The action matters because the riots involved organized-looking groups that attacked shops, looted, and quickly dispersed.

The searches took place in 19 cities, including Milan-area locations and cities such as Bari, Bologna, Florence, Naples, and Verona. Police were looking for people suspected of involvement in the unrest. Videos recorded during the riots had also spread widely on social media, giving investigators possible identification leads.

The response came after more than 270 people were detained, with minors making up 80 percent of those detained. Fourteen police officers were injured. The government also deployed 500 paratroopers in Milan because authorities feared more protests and violence during the following weekend.

DIGOS is identified in the article as a special-operations division of Italy’s state police. In this case, it was the police unit responsible for conducting searches connected to the Milan riots. Its role mattered because investigators were pursuing suspected participants across many cities, not just in Milan.

On Friday, DIGOS officers searched the homes of approximately 100 people. The group included 51 minors. The searches were conducted in 19 cities, including Arezzo, Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Naples, Padua, and Verona. This showed that the investigation had spread beyond the original riot scene.

The article does not explain what the letters DIGOS stand for or describe the division’s full legal powers. It does show DIGOS working as part of a wider police response, alongside prosecutors and other authorities. The searches followed mass detentions, viral videos, and fears of copycat unrest.

The unrest was large in both its financial and human impact. Retail association Confcommercio estimated around one billion euros in damage. Groups of youths smashed shop windows and looted stores and supermarkets before quickly dispersing. The attacks therefore affected many businesses and were difficult to contain.

Police said more than 270 people were detained, and 80 percent were minors. The youths also threw stones, bottles, and flares at officers, injuring 14 of them. The youngest identified participant was 11 years old. These figures explain why the government treated the unrest as a major security crisis.

The follow-up searches covered 19 cities, from Arezzo and Bari to Milan-area cities, Naples, and Verona. The article does not give a separate total for the number of cities affected by rioting itself. It specifically reports the number of cities where searches were conducted.

The government deployed 500 paratroopers in Milan to assist law enforcement. The immediate reason was fear of further protests and violence during the coming weekend. The deployment was meant to strengthen security after looting, widespread damage, and clashes that injured 14 police officers.

The article gives a clear warning sign from shopkeepers. Some said they planned to keep their shutters down over the weekend. That response shows how the threat of renewed unrest could disrupt ordinary business even before new violence occurred. Police had already detained more than 270 people after the riots.

If further protests became violent, the consequences could include additional injuries, property damage, looting, and arrests. The new security decree also created a crime for violent participation in demonstrations, carrying fines of up to 20,000 euros and prison terms of up to five years. The article does not predict that these outcomes will occur.

Preventive detention generally means restricting someone’s liberty before a final conviction, because authorities believe the person may pose a serious immediate risk. It is intended to prevent anticipated violence or disorder, not to punish someone after guilt has been established. The article connects it with preparations for problematic demonstrations.

Italy’s new security decree extended authorities’ power to use preventive detention against minors who are known or suspected troublemakers. Previously, the article describes the power as applying more broadly but does not specify the former age limit. The change therefore brings minors within this preventive measure before certain demonstrations.

The decree also created a new crime of violent participation in a demonstration. Convictions under that offense can bring fines of up to 20,000 euros and prison terms of up to five years. The article does not explain the exact procedure, evidence standard, or maximum detention period for minors.

Investigators can combine several kinds of information when identifying suspected rioters. Social-media videos may show faces, clothing, actions, or locations. Police searches can then look for items or digital material connecting people to the unrest. Prosecutors assess the available information and decide which suspected offenses may be investigated or charged.

The article says videos capturing individuals during the unrest went viral. DIGOS later searched the homes of about 100 people, including 51 minors. In Bari, the District Anti-Mafia Directorate and the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office targeted a large group of young people over suspected incitement to destruction and looting for terrorist purposes.

That Bari operation also involved suspicion of weapons, ammunition, and explosives possession. These examples show investigators pursuing both participation in disorder and related criminal conduct. The article does not say that every person shown in a video was charged, or that every search produced evidence.

Juvenile justice usually recognizes that children differ from adults in maturity and responsibility. Under established Italian law, children below the minimum age of criminal responsibility are generally not criminally liable; older minors can face juvenile proceedings under different rules from adults. The article itself does not explain these legal thresholds or procedures.

The reported youngest identified participant was 11 years old. That fact makes age central to any legal response. Police also said 80 percent of more than 270 detainees were minors. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said the government wanted to expand juvenile detention facilities after mass arrests of minors.

The distinction matters because detention, prosecution, and rehabilitation can be handled differently for young suspects. The article does not say whether the 11-year-old was detained, charged, or placed in a facility. It only records the identification and the government’s plan to expand juvenile detention capacity after the riots.