Several people were injured as a man wielding a knife mowed a car into a crowd of pedestrians in the city centre of Modena, Italy.
UPDATE 1945: The suspected attacker has been identified as 31-year-old El Koudri Salim, a second generation migrant born in Seriate, Bergamo. He does not reportedly have a previous criminal record. According to Il Sole 24 Ore, a 55-year-old woman is in life threatening condition and a 55-year-old man is also in serious condition.
The original story continues as follows…
The Northern Italian city of Modena was struck by tragedy on Saturday, as a man, suspected to be from North Africa, drove a car at over a hundred miles an hour into innocent passersby on Via Emilia.
According to the local Gazzetta di Modena newspaper, the driver then abandoned the car and, while fleeing the scene, stabbed another pedestrian with a knife. Multiple brave good Samaritans then subdued the attacker, and he was finally detained by police.
In comments reported by Il Sole 24 Ore, Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti said: “I want to thank these citizens. The man was also armed with a knife; they had courage and great civic sense. My heartfelt thanks go to them in this dramatic moment.”
The Mayor said that while investigators are still seeking to determine the motivation for the apparent attack, he revealed that the attacker “seems to be a North African, is at the police station and is being interrogated.”
A total of eight people were wounded during the mayhem, including two who suffered serious injuries, one of whom, a woman, is said to have lost her legs.
A witness said that the car “hit the pavement, also hitting a bike and then crashed, hitting a woman who is the most seriously injured, with her legs crushed”.
One of the men who subdued the driver said, “I chased him; in the meantime, 4 to 5 other people came after me. He disappeared behind a pile of cars and then emerged again with a knife in his hand. He was babbling something, but he wasn’t Italian”.
This story is developing, more to follow…
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