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.
A federal court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending temporary immigration protecti...
Iran and Afghanistan are seeking closer cooperation in agriculture, livestock and irrigation during a three-day Iranian ministerial visit to Kabul,...
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, ...
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
A federal court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending temporary immigration protections for Somali nationals living in the United States, a decision that could leave more than 1,000 people vulnerable to deportation.
Iran and Afghanistan are seeking closer cooperation in agriculture, livestock and irrigation during a three-day Iranian ministerial visit to Kabul, as both sides look to strengthen trade and rural economies.
A ransom payment estimated at $50 million for the release of a hostage held by al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali has significantly strengthened the group's operations across West Africa and provided funding to other branches of the global extremist network, according to a United Nations report.
At least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine in July, according to UN investigators, marking the highest monthly civilian casualty toll since March 2022.
Record rainfall in Japan killed eight people and stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Friday, as flooding disrupted transport and cut power to 20,000 homes.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment