Italy Leaders Visit Victims of Modena Car-Ramming and Stabbing Attacks

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella visited victims of car-ramming and stabbing attacks in the northern city of Modena on Sunday. m. local time on Saturday when a 31-year-old man drove at high speed through the city center, striking more than a dozen people.

The man also stabbed a pedestrian before passers-by stopped him. Eight people were taken to hospital in serious condition, according to the ANSA state news agency. Two women aged 55 and 69 had their legs amputated, and one remains in a life-threatening condition, the city prosecutor's office stated on Sunday.

Prosecutors described the attack as carried out in an indiscriminate, random and deliberate manner. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told journalists on Sunday that the incident appears related to a situation of psychiatric distress. Italian broadcaster RaiNews reported that the suspect had shown symptoms of schizoid disorders and received treatment at a mental health centre in the same province between 2022 and 2024.

Mezzetti said two of the four citizens who blocked the attacker were of foreign origin. He stated that they symbolize a community that knows how to react, unite and intervene in such moments. The Italian leaders did not release statements after their hospital visits.