A driver plowed a vehicle into pedestrians on a main thoroughfare in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday, injuring eight people — four of them critically — before attempting to flee the scene, according to local authorities and witness accounts provided by the mayor’s office.
Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti described the sequence of events in grim detail. The vehicle entered one of the city’s main streets, and the man “drove onto the sidewalk, sending several people flying,” Mezzetti said, before the vehicle crashed through a shop window. One woman was pinned against the window in the impact and required the amputation of both legs, the mayor said.
Victims were transported to hospitals in Modena and Bologna, with the most critically injured taken by helicopter for emergency care. No deaths were reported as of Saturday evening, though Mezzetti emphasized the severity of the injuries sustained by those in critical condition.
Authorities identified the driver as Salim El Koudri, a 31-year-old second-generation Italian citizen born in Bergamo and residing in the province of Modena. El Koudri holds a degree in economics and is unemployed, officials stated. He was detained at the scene and taken to police headquarters in Modena for questioning.
Investigators said at a press conference Saturday evening that early findings pointed to possible mental instability but required further verification. Modena Prefect Fabrizia Triolo said El Koudri had been known to local mental health services for schizoid disorders. There was no initial indication the man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, investigators said, and his home was searched as part of the inquiry. No links to extremist groups had emerged, officials stated.
Witnesses reported that El Koudri was holding a knife during the incident, but he did not stab anyone, according to the mayor. Mezzetti said investigators were still working to determine whether the act was deliberate or driven by other factors. “Whatever the nature, it is a very serious act,” Mezzetti said. “If it were an attack, it would be even more serious.”
After the crash, El Koudri attempted to flee but was stopped first by several citizens who had been involved in or witnessed the incident, and then by police, the mayor said. Emergency services — including police, carabinieri, and financial police — responded to the scene, which was cordoned off as paramedics treated victims in the street.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni addressed the incident in a social media post, calling it “extremely serious” and expressing solidarity with the victims and their families. She thanked the citizens who intervened to help stop the driver and praised law enforcement for their response. Meloni said she was in contact with local authorities and expected the suspect “to be held fully accountable.”