Autopsy points to possible suffocation in Moroccan man's death during police intervention in Italy

Preliminary autopsy findings indicate that Moroccan national Abderrahim Fakir may have died from suffocation after blood filled his lungs during a police intervention in the northern Italian city of Bologna, according to Italian public broadcaster Rai News.

The autopsy, ordered by the Bologna Public Prosecutor's Office and conducted Friday at Sant'Orsola Hospital, follows a CT scan performed a day earlier that reportedly showed blood in the 42-year-old's lungs.

The initial findings suggest Fakir may have suffocated on his own blood, although forensic experts have yet to determine whether the lung hemorrhage was the direct cause of death or a contributing factor.

The examination was attended by forensic experts appointed by the prosecution, as well as Fakir's family and the lawyers representing the two police officers and four Italian Red Cross emergency workers involved in the intervention.

Investigators are also expected to examine video footage recorded by residents and police body cameras, along with the results of histological and toxicological tests, and assess whether emergency medical procedures were carried out correctly.

The prosecution has opened a manslaughter investigation. The two police officers and four emergency responders have been registered in the preliminary investigation but have not been formally charged.

Forensic experts have been given 90 days to submit their final report.

Lawyer Fabio Anselmo, representing Fakir's family, declined to comment on the preliminary findings but said he did not "feel like denying" reports that pointed to suffocation.

Lawyer Gabriele Bordoni, representing the police officers, said the autopsy would have to clarify both the exact cause of death and "everything that revolved around it," including the actions of police and emergency responders and Fakir's condition before the intervention.

Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man, died Sunday after police officers pinned him to the ground while attempting to handcuff him in Bologna.

The case has prompted public debate in Italy over police restraint methods and the circumstances surrounding his death.