Car Incident in Modena Injures Nearly a Dozen
On Saturday, a driver drove into a crowd in Modena, a city in northern Italy, resulting in injuries to nearly a dozen individuals. Reports suggest that the driver allegedly stabbed a bystander who was trying to confront him.
The accident occurred on Via Emilia, a crowded street in the city center, where the vehicle collided with a pedestrian. Four bystanders managed to subdue the driver and turned him over to law enforcement, as noted by CNN. Mayor Massimo Mezzetti stated that eight people were injured, with four suffering serious injuries. One woman tragically lost both her legs after being struck head-on by the vehicle.
Emergency responders, including police and financial police, were quick to block off the area. Those who were severely injured were airlifted to hospitals in Modena and Bologna.
Luca Signorelli, one of the individuals who helped stop the driver, recounted tending to an injured woman when the suspect attempted to escape. As Signorelli tried to intervene, he was stabbed twice. “I was stabbed once in the heart and once in the head,” he shared. “I managed to avoid one, but the other pierced my wrist.”
The driver in question has been identified as Salim El Khoudri, a 31-year-old Moroccan man from northern Italy. According to local reports, he holds an economics degree but is currently unemployed. He is now in police custody while officials investigate the incident.
Authorities from the Bologna district prosecutor’s terrorism department are looking into the event to determine the context behind the driver’s actions. It remains unclear if the incident was intentional or if the driver was under the influence. Mayor Mezzetti described the situation as dramatic, indicating that the motivations behind the crash remain unclear. If it turns out to be an attack, he mentioned, it would escalate the seriousness of the situation.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also weighed in, emphasizing that the incident is quite serious. She noted that those responsible must accept accountability for their actions.
