Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated that the 31-year-old man who drove into a crowd in Modena on Saturday is not suspected of terrorism and had mental health issues. This was reported by Euronews, according to UNN.<\/p>\n
Details<\/p>\n
Investigators have ruled out a terrorist motive after a man drove a car into a crowd in the Italian city of Modena, injuring eight people.<\/p>\n
The driver\u2014a 31-year-old Italian citizen of Moroccan origin\u2014struck several people before crashing into a shop window and running over a woman. According to authorities, four of the victims are in critical condition.<\/p>\n
The Prefect of Modena, Fabrizia Triolo, told a press conference that the driver, an economics graduate born in 1995 who had no prior police record, had experienced a period of “psychological disorders” in 2022.<\/p>\n
“In 2022, he underwent treatment at our mental health centers for schizoid-type issues, after which he disappeared from view and, unfortunately, returned today in such a dramatic and tragic manner,”<\/p>\n
– stated the Mayor of Modena, Massimo Mezzetti.<\/p>\n
A search was conducted at the man’s home near Modena; however, Italian media sources reported that the investigation has not yet found any signs of radicalization.<\/p>\n
Among the victims are two foreigners\u2014a German tourist vacationing in Italy and a Polish citizen. All the injured were taken to hospitals in the Emilia-Romagna region.<\/p>\n
A 55-year-old woman, who was pinned between the car and the shop window, is in a hospital in Bologna. Her condition is critical, and doctors had to amputate her legs.<\/p>\n
A 52-year-old man is in the intensive care unit at the same hospital. Another victim who was run over by the car also had his lower limbs amputated.<\/p>\n
Immediately after the collision with the storefront, the driver, identified as Salim El Khoudri, fled the vehicle and attempted to escape on foot.<\/p>\n
He was pursued and cornered by four bystanders, after which the man pulled out a knife and wounded one of them.<\/p>\n
Despite the 31-year-old attacker being armed with a knife featuring a 20-centimeter blade, the people managed to hold him until the police arrived.<\/p>\n
The Modena Prosecutor’s Office has officially authorized the arrest of the attacker on serious charges of attempted mass murder and inflicting bodily harm with a weapon.<\/p>\n