Two British cousins charged with attempted murder after Valentine's Day stabbing in Venice
Victim nearly bled to death after being stabbed in neck at cocktail bar near Rialto Bridge
Police believe weapon was thrown into Grand Canal and are conducting underwater search
Attack reportedly stemmed from trivial disagreement that escalated into violence
Cousins arrested after week-long investigation using multiple surveillance methods
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Two British cousins aged 19 and 21 were arrested and charged with attempted murder on February 24, 2026, in Venice for stabbing a 22-year-old local man in the neck at a cocktail bar on Valentine's Day, an incident police say was sparked by a trivial disagreement. The victim reportedly came close to bleeding to death following the attack outside La Bussola Cocktail Lar near the Rialto Bridge in the city's historic center. According to Italian police, the 19-year-old is alleged to be the perpetrator while the 21-year-old is suspected as his accomplice. The investigation revealed that the knife used in the attack may have been thrown into the Grand Canal, prompting state police diving units to search for the weapon. The cousins, who had been in Italy on holiday since the end of January with return tickets already booked, were found in an apartment owned by an Italian relative in Venice city center after a search lasting more than a week. The Venice Flying Squad, coordinated by the local prosecutor's office, conducted the operation with support from wiretaps, electronic surveillance, social media monitoring, and information exchange with British authorities.
Law enforcement in Italy is centralized on a national level, with multiple national forces, assisted by some local law enforcement agencies. The two main police forces are the Carabinieri, the national gendarmerie, and the Polizia di Stato, the civil national police. The Guardia di Finanza is a mil...
The Rialto Bridge (Italian: Ponte di Rialto; Venetian: Ponte de Rialto) is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the sestieri (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its first construction as a pontoon bridge in 11...
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British cousins charged with attempted murder over Venice Valentine's Day stabbing The suspects, aged 19 and 21, are alleged to have stabbed a 22-year-old local man in the neck in a cocktail bar, police say. Tuesday 24 February 2026 19:16, UK Why you can trust Sky News Two British cousins have been arrested and charged with attempted murder over a stabbing on Valentine's Day in Venice. Italian police said the men, aged 19 and 21, had been charged with stabbing a 22-year-old local man in the neck on the even of 14 February at a bar in the city's historic centre. The victim reportedly come close to bleeding to death, after the incident outside La Bussola Cocktail Lar near the Rialto Bridge. Police say they think it was sparked by a "trivial disagreements". They believe the knife may have been thrown into the water, with state police diving units searching the Grand Canal in Venice's centre to find the alleged weapon. The 19-year-old is alleged to be the perpetrator and the 21-year-old the suspected accomplice, Italy's Polizia Di Stato said in a statement. "Officers from the Venice Flying Squad, coordinated by the local prosecutor's office, arrested two British nationals, aged 19 and 21," the police said. "They are believed to be responsible for the attempted murder of a 22-year-old man, which occurred on Valentine's Day in the historic centre." More on Crime 'Britain's youngest female double murderer' approved for open prison move Charles Bronson: Britain's 'most notorious prisoner' pledges to 'expose unlawful sentence' ahead of parole hearing Man jailed after starving dogs to death at 'rehoming' centre in Essex Related Topics: Crime Italy Venice They added: "According to investigations, the motive appears to be trivial disagreements between young people, which escalated into violence over trivial matters". Read more from Sky News: Briton among 19 dead in Nepal bus crash Call for probe into virus that killed 72 tigers in Thailand The police said the two men had been i...