Tunisian asylum seeker, 16, is arrested on suspicion of raping 40-year-old jogger in Italy

A 16-year-old Tunisian boy has been arrested on Tuesday under suspicion of raping an Italian woman who was out jogging.

The 40-year-old was running near La Maddalena, a town on one of the islands of Sardinia, Italy.

The suspect is reportedly an asylum seeker, staying at the asylum reception centre at La Maddalena, and was arrested by the police.

He has been accused of raping the woman on a running track, close to the town centre, in what was described as an isolated area.

The teenager reportedly grabbed and jumped on the woman as she was running, and then after raping her attempted to strangle her with his bare hands.

At this point, two men running past heard the woman screaming and chased the 16-year-old off, saving the woman’s life. The two men then took her to hospital.

Once the incident was reported to the police, the local law enforcement began a manhunt, locking the area down to stop the boy from leaving the town.

They were able to capture him at around 1 a.m., and took him into custody.

The victim was reportedly in a state of shock after the attack, and suffered bruises and scratches on her body, in addition to major trauma. News of the attack comes just days after another rape was reported in Italy on May 3 at a Naples bus stop, involving a Senegalese migrant.