Modena, a man plows through pedestrians with his car and stabs a man who tried to block him. Four people are seriously injured. A thirty-year-old North African man has been arrested.
The possibility of an attack is gaining traction. Witnesses say he was going at least 100 miles per hour and hit the sidewalk. The man was stopped by passersby.(Ansa-Vecchi)
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A car traveling at high speed struck about ten pedestrians in the center of Modena. Seven people were injured, four of them in serious condition: two were taken to Baggiovara Hospital in Modena and two were taken by helicopter to Maggiore Hospital in Bologna .
The attack hypothesis is gaining traction following the events along Via Emilia, where emergency services and law enforcement immediately responded. "He was heading for the sidewalk, we saw him coming," witnesses said, describing a "sudden acceleration" and a vehicle going "at least 100 miles an hour." "We saw people flying." Furthermore, while fleeing on foot, the driver also attempted to stab a man who lunged at him to block his path . He was stopped shortly afterward by a group of five citizens who chased and subdued him; the man is of North African origin.
A woman, who was hit head-on, suffered the worst consequences. She lost both legs in the impact, according to Luca Signorelli, one of the men who tracked down the perpetrator : "While I was trying to help the lady with her legs amputated," Signorelli explained to reporters, "he ran away. So I chased him, and in the meantime, four or five other people followed me. He disappeared behind a pile of cars and then popped out with a knife in his hand. He was mumbling something, but he wasn't Italian. I received two blows, one to the heart and the other to the head. A fight broke out. I managed to avoid one blow, and I caught the other. Then I blocked his wrist. And then I neutralized him ." He was also assisted by other passers-by.
The incident occurred today, Saturday, May 16, in the early afternoon. The car, a Citroen C3 coming from Largo Garibaldi, crashed into the window of a shop in Largo Porta Bologna. The driver attempted to flee and was stabbed, but the man was apprehended shortly thereafter and is now in custody. He is an Italian citizen of North African origin, approximately thirty years old . Born and raised in the Modena area, he has a clean criminal record, according to initial information.
The area, very crowded on Saturday afternoon, was cordoned off with red and white flags. Several ambulances were assisting the injured in the street. Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, and police were on hand to manage the situation.
Mayor Massimo Mezzetti was also on the scene: "We need to understand the nature of the incident, but it's a tragic act. I'm deeply shocked. Whatever the nature, it's a very serious event. If it were an attack, it would be even more serious."
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is also closely monitoring the events in Modena and is in constant contact with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and the Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers responsible for Security of the Republic, Alfredo Mantovano. This is according to sources at Palazzo Chigi, while the Prime Minister is currently attending the Europe Gulf Forum in Navarino, Greece. (Unioneonline)