A woman has had both legs amputated after a driver armed with a knife drove his car into a crowd of pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, injuring eight people, four of them critically, according to local authorities.
Officials said the woman was pinned against a shop window when the vehicle left the roadway and mounted the sidewalk along one of Modena's main streets on Saturday.
Mayor Massimo Mezzetti said she required the amputation of both legs due to the severity of her injuries, while several other victims were transported to hospitals in Modena and Bologna, with the most seriously hurt airlifted by helicopter. Authorities described her condition, and that of three other patients, as critical, according to People.
Police identified the driver as 31-year-old Salim El Koudri, a second-generation Italian born in Bergamo and living in the Modena area. He allegedly drove at high speed into the busy Via Emilia, striking pedestrians and cyclists before crashing into the storefront that trapped the woman.
Security camera footage showed the car racing along the street packed with people before smashing into the shop window, according to Italian media reports cited by authorities.
After the crash, the driver attempted to flee on foot but was chased by bystanders. Witnesses told reporters that several civilians tackled him to the ground, disarming him after he pulled out a knife and injured at least one person who tried to stop him. He was then detained by police and taken to headquarters for questioning.
Investigators said there was no immediate indication the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident, the Associated Press reported.
Modena's prefect, Fabrizia Triolo, said El Koudri had previously been in contact with mental health services for schizoid or psychological disorders, but stressed that further assessments are needed and that no links to extremist groups had emerged so far.
Prosecutors are working to determine whether the act was deliberate and have opened an investigation into attempted homicide and other possible charges, local media reported.
Eight people in total were injured in the attack, including both locals and foreign tourists. Authorities said the victims include women and men from Italy as well as a German and a Polish national, with ages ranging from middle-aged to elderly.
Officials have not released the names of the woman who lost her legs or the other severely injured victims, citing privacy and ongoing notification of families, as per Euro Weekly News.
