At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
Police said the driver, a 30-year-old man from Bergamo with North African roots, was arrested after trying to flee the scene.
According to Modena mayor Massimo Mezzetti, the car crashed into a shop window after mounting the pavement and hitting several people.
“It seems the driver deliberately drove onto the sidewalk, hitting several people,” Mezzetti told RaiNews24.
The mayor said the suspect tried to escape on foot after the crash, but was stopped by passers-by. During the confrontation, he allegedly attacked one man with a knife, causing minor injuries, before police arrived and detained him.
Among those hurt, four people remain in serious condition. Two were airlifted to a hospital in Bologna, around 40 kilometres from Modena, according to local authorities.
A witness who was stabbed during the incident told RaiNews24 that he heard people screaming and falling as the car approached.
“I threw myself to the ground as the car came towards us,” he said, adding that the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Authorities have not confirmed this.
A source in Italy’s Interior Ministry said the suspect had previously received treatment for psychiatric disorders. Officials have not yet provided details about a possible motive or whether terrorism is being considered.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the incident as “extremely serious”.
“I express my solidarity with those who were injured and their families,” Meloni wrote on the social media platform X.
“What happened in Modena is extremely serious. I trust the person responsible will be held fully accountable for his actions,” she added.
Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League Party, also commented on the incident, referring to the suspect as a “second-generation criminal” and highlighting his North African background.
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