Young Mohamed found in Palermo after disappearing from Santa Maria di Licodia

Last Updated: March 15, 2024

Il piccolo Mohamed ritrovato a Palermo: era scomparso da Santa Maria di Licodia

The search for the ten-year-old Tunisian boy Mohamed Khalifa, who disappeared in Santa Maria di Licodia on the night between 12th and 13th March, has come to a happy ending. He has been found in Palermo: the carabinieri located him near the church of Santa Chiara in the historic center. The child is in good health, but the military are now trying to reconstruct what happened and how the boy managed to reach the capital.

Mohamed was identified by the carabinieri of Paternò with the support of their colleagues in Palermo. Intense search activity coordinated by the prefecture of Catania was initiated to find him. Investigations are underway to determine if he voluntarily left the community where he lived.

Since the beginning, the entire town had mobilized and the mayor had repeatedly called on social media for everyone to contribute to the search. “As the mayor,” Giovanni Buttò wrote, “I share the anxiety for the fate of the child. I appeal strongly to anyone who can help find him.” The anguish ended with the identification of the child in Palermo, but now it will be necessary to shed light on what happened and the reasons that led the boy to leave the community.