Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella visited victims on Sunday after a car-ramming and stabbing attack in the northern city of Modena left eight people injured, four of them seriously.
The attack happened at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday on Via Emilia Centro, one of Modena’s main shopping streets. Prosecutors said 31-year-old Salim El Koudri, an Italian citizen of Moroccan origin, drove at high speed into pedestrians in what they described as an “indiscriminate, random and deliberate” attack.
Authorities said the suspect later crashed into a shopfront and attempted to flee. He allegedly stabbed a passer-by who tried to stop him before being subdued by a group of residents. Eight people were taken to hospital, with four in serious condition.
The Modena prosecutor’s office said two women, aged 55 and 69, had suffered severe leg injuries requiring amputations. One remained in life-threatening condition. Prosecutors have accused El Koudri of attempted massacre and causing serious injury.
Meloni cancelled a planned meeting in Cyprus to travel to Modena with Mattarella. She had earlier described the incident as “extremely serious” and thanked residents who intervened, as well as police and emergency services.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said investigators were still examining the motive but that the attack appeared linked to “a situation of psychiatric distress.” He added that nothing had been missed from a counterterrorism-prevention standpoint.
Italian media reported that El Koudri had previously received mental-health treatment between 2022 and 2024. Authorities have not announced evidence of a wider plot.
The attack also drew political reaction after Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini highlighted the suspect’s background as a second-generation Italian of Moroccan origin. Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti instead praised the residents who stopped the suspect, including two Egyptian nationals, saying they symbolised a community capable of reacting with unity during a moment of crisis.
