Italy's president Sergio Mattarella and prime minister Matteo Renzi on Monday condemned the killing of nine-year-old Michel Santomenna in the Islamist terror attack on the capital of Burkina Faso, claimed by Al-Qaeda.
"The violent hand of the terrorists doesn't stop, even in the face of a nine-year-old boy," said Mattarella.
"As a father (and) a prime minister, there are no words to express the pain and the condolences of the whole of Italy for this death - for a young life cut short by hatred," said Renzi.
Foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni tweeted that killing a child "is a horrendous crime".
Santomenna was the only Italian among the 29 people killed in Friday's attack on the Cappuccino restaurant and bar and the Hotel Splendid in Ouagadougou, which Al-Qaeda said was carried out by its Al-Mourabitoun branch.
The boy's mother Victoria Yankovska, his aunt Yana and his grandmother, all three Ukrainian nationals, also died in the attack, whose victims included eight Canadians, an American, two Swiss and two French citizens.
Michel's father Gaetano Santomenna, a longtime Ouagadougou resident owns the Cappuccino restaurant and several bakeries in the capital.
Burkina Faso declared three days of national mourning for the victims of the attack, which began Sunday.
