An Italian man, who spent 24 years of his life searching for his missing brother, is now lying on a hospital bed seriously wounded as his long-lost brother stormed his house and stabbed him.
Martin Rabanser, 35, shook awake to his brother, Ivo, 42, waltzing in and coming at him with a dagger, the local media reported.
Rabanser’s lawyer said, “After 24 years, Martin didn’t recognise his attacker and cried out: ‘Who are you? What do you want?’. “Ivo replied: ‘I’m your brother – don’t you recognise me?'”
According to the media reprots, the confrontation took place in Selva di Val Gardena in the Italian Alps and was the first time the brothers had met since Ivo left home at 18 following the death of their father.
“One theory is that Ivo was angry about the terms of their inheritance from their father, which included the house Martin still lives in, and has been nurturing a grudge ever since,” Nicola Nettis, the lawyer, added.
“But most people handle this through lawyers – they don’t vanish for two decades then show up with a hunting knife.”
Ivo had gone missing in 1997 following which the family launched several media ads for his return but to no avail.
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The local police, however, later discovered the missing elder brother used to sleep rough in Verona and took on part-time work. They also found that along with spending time in a local library where he built up an extensive knowledge of literature.
It is now believed that Ivo returned to the town and camped out in woods – where he was said to have been watching his brother.
He entered the home where Martin lives with his wife and child carrying two knives.
After waking him up, Ivo stabbed Martin repeatedly in the chest but stopped short of killing him deliberately, Nettis said.
Nettis said Martin was stabbed in the lung but is now off the danger list.
