Andrea Minguzzi: Teenager who stabbed Italian celebrity chef's son Mattia at Turkish market says he 'doesn't remember' doing it

As reported, 14-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi was stabbed and seriously injured at a flea market in Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey on the morning of January 24. It’s been reporting he had gone with his friends to buy skateboarding equipment.

Two suspects, named only as BB, 15, and UB, 14, have been arrested and remanded in custody while investigations are carried out.

Minguzzi’s father is the Italian celebrity chef Andrea Minguzzi, who runs a notable Italian restaurant in the Turkish capital. His mother is the celebrated cellist Yasemin Akıncılar.

Now haberler.com has printed the suspects’ statements that were given to police. The website has reported that while the Minguzzi’s group were shopping, a person made a remark saying “You are very handsome”. Mattia replied “Excuse me, brother” and this led to a verbal argument between them. After a while, a fight broke out when the parties encountered each other again.

BB, who is named as the assailant, claimed the pair were provoked, saying: "I took a fruit knife from a stall selling kitchenware. I swung it at them, but it hit the foreign kid."

BB was separated by the intervention of nearby shopkeepers, ran back and attacked Minguzzi with a knife. Minguzzi man collapsed to the ground from the knife wounds and was seriously injured. The other attacker, UB, is said to have kicked him. The pair were arrested for attempted murder.

BB said: "While I was walking in the market, one of the three people I didn't know pointed at my glasses and said, 'What’s on your head, you brat, your mouth smells like milk.' I replied, 'Mind your own business, I don’t want to fight.' They left the scene, but we were about 15-20 meters apart.

“The person who said these words was making gestures with his eyes. I went over to them with my friend. When the same person said similar things, the shopkeeper intervened. Later, Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi, whose name I learned afterward, pushed me. Then, I took the knife I saw at the fruit and vegetable stand in the market.

“I swung the knife at them to scare them. However, the knife hit Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi. After that, my friend and I ran away from the scene. The police took me from my home. I don’t remember stabbing him six times.”

On social media last week Andrea said: “He had asked his mother for money and permission to go out. They wanted to buy skateboard parts and clothing. At the flea market, imported items sell out early, so they went in the morning. This is a horrific incident. His internal organs are not in good condition, but we remain hopeful. Unfortunately, there's little we can do. The doctors are taking excellent care of him. We are in their hands and in the hands of prayers.”