20-year-old beaten to death after defending girlfriend

(ANSA) - Rome, March 27 - A 20-year-old man, Emanuele Morganti, died in hospital on Sunday after being brutally beaten by a gang for defending his girlfriend following insults by a young Albanian national, sources said. The gang may have used an iron bar in the attack, which took place on the night between Friday and Saturday outside a club in Alatri, in the province of Frosinone, near Rome.
    Carabinieri police are at work to identify the attackers, who are thought to be more or less the same age as the victim. Nine people are under investigation, three Albanians and six Italians, sources said.
    Bouncers who were working at the club on the night of the incident are among those suspected of involvement.
    Around a dozen witnesses have been questioned. President Sergio Mattarella spoke about the case during a meeting with candidates for the David di Donatello cinema awards on Monday. "It is necessary to combat violence like that which took place in Alatri two days ago," he said.