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Man drives car into pedestrians in Italy at terrifying speed before emerging with a knife in his hand
It was late afternoon in Modena. The historic center was busy. Then a car came screaming down Via Emilia next to the cathedral. Witnesses say it was doing at least a hundred kilometers per hour. It veered straight for the curb. People were sent flying. The car only stopped when it slammed into a shop window.
Eight people are now injured. Four seriously. One woman reportedly lost both her legs. Five women and three men were caught in the path of the vehicle. The driver did not stay inside. He climbed out holding a knife.
A passer-by named Luca Signorelli saw the attacker trying to flee and gave chase. The man turned on him with the blade. Signorelli took a blow to the head and another to the chest before other bystanders helped pin the suspect down.
Man drives car into pedestrians in Italy as officials confirm the suspect is an Italian national with a history of mental health issues
The suspect is thirty-one years old. Officials identified him as an Italian national of Moroccan origin. He was born in the province of Bergamo and lives in the Modena area. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini named him publicly and called him a second-generation criminal. Authorities say the man is an economics graduate who is unemployed and has no prior criminal record.
Modena’s prefect told reporters on Saturday evening that the suspect had been referred to a mental health center in 2022 for schizoid disorders. After that referral, he disappeared without a trace. No follow-up. No monitoring. Just silence until a speeding car turned a busy street into a scene of horror.
Mayor Massimo Mezzetti said it appeared the driver deliberately mounted the pavement. He hit multiple people. He crashed into a shop. He came out armed. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the incident as extremely serious.
An eyewitness said they saw the car suddenly accelerate. They watched bodies fly. The scene next to Modena’s cathedral has left the city shaken. The investigation is ongoing. The questions about how this happened and why are only beginning.
