A man in his thirties deliberately drove a car onto the sidewalk and hit pedestrians in the centre of Modena, northern Italy, on May 16 at about 16:30 local time (14:30 GMT), injuring eight people, four of them seriously [1, 2, 3]. The driver, identified as 31-year-old Salim El Koudri, crashed into a shop window before exiting his vehicle and brandishing a knife [1, 2, 3]. He stabbed one man who tried to intervene and was detained by passers-by until police arrested him [1, 4, 2].
Four of the injured suffered serious harm, including a woman who had both legs crushed or amputated [1, 2, 3]. Two seriously wounded victims were airlifted to a hospital about 40 km away in Bologna [3, 5]. Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti said it appeared the driver "deliberately drove onto the sidewalk, hitting several people and crashing into a shop window. He then got out of his car and brandished a knife" [1].
El Koudri was born in 1995 in Bergamo and is an Italian citizen of North African/Moroccan origin residing near Modena [1, 2, 3]. Police said he was not previously known to law enforcement [1, 3]. He has a history of mental health issues, diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, and had psychological treatment in 2022 [3, 6]. The Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said "there are no indications of structured Islamist radicalisation" and no links to extremist groups or propaganda networks [7].
It is unclear if the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Some witnesses suspected intoxication, but authorities have not confirmed this. Other officials stated he was not under the influence of psychotropic substances [2, 3, 6, 7]. One passer-by described escaping the attacker’s knife multiple times and being struck on the head [6].
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the incident "extremely serious" and expressed solidarity with the injured and their families [1, 2]. She visited victims in hospital alongside President Sergio Mattarella on May 17 [6]. Far-right politician Matteo Salvini highlighted El Koudri’s North African background and called him a "second-generation criminal" [1, 3].
Police continue investigations into the incident following El Koudri’s arrest on May 16 [1, 8, 7]. Interior Ministry officials confirmed on May 18 there were no terrorism links and reiterated the driver’s mental health history [7].
