Multiple injured after man drives into crowd in Modena, Italy

A man drove a car into pedestrians in the historic center of Modena, Italy, injuring several people, including at least three who were seriously hurt, according to local media. The driver was later stopped after he tried to flee and stabbed a passerby.

The incident happened on Saturday afternoon along Via Emilia Centro, a busy street in the center of Modena, a city in northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. Modena Today reported that the car, a Citroen C3, entered the street at high speed from the direction of Largo Garibaldi.

The vehicle struck pedestrians as it moved through the area, repeatedly zigzagging before going onto a sidewalk near a minimarket, according to local media outlet ModenaToday. It came to a stop after crashing into the windows of a clothing store.

A provisional count cited by ModenaToday said seven people were injured, three of them seriously. One woman suffered the amputation of both legs after she was struck by the car and pinned against a wall.

Witnesses said a passerby pulled the driver from the car after the crash, but the man tried to run away and was stopped nearby by several people. The driver also allegedly pulled out a knife and lightly wounded the man who had removed him from the vehicle.

The suspect has been identified by local outlets as Salim el Koudri, a 31-year-old Italian citizen of Moroccan origin who was originally from the province of Bergamo and lives in the province of Modena.

“I express my closeness to the injured people and their families,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement. “I also thank the citizens who courageously intervened to stop the person responsible and the law enforcement officers for their intervention.”

The motive was not immediately known.