A man drove his car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday, injuring eight people, four seriously, officials said. They included a woman who had to have both her legs amputated.
After the car came to a halt against a shop window, the driver emerged holding a knife and injured a passer-by who gave chase, before the suspect was overpowered.
The suspect, 31, has been identified by officials as an Italian national of Moroccan origin.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who cancelled a planned trip to Cyprus and described the incident as 'extremely serious', visited the injured in hospital with President Sergio Mattarella on Sunday.
She also met Luca Signorelli, the passer-by who intervened, and thanked him for his actions.
What makes an ordinary person heroic is the moment when the heart chooses to do good, even when that involves a risk, she wrote on X, and shared an image of them embracing.
The incident occurred around 16:30 (14:30 GMT), when the speeding car hit the pedestrians in Via Emilia next to the iconic cathedral of Modena, south-east of Milan.
Signorelli had told Italian media he was trying to help the woman when he noticed the driver trying to run away.
At a news conference on Saturday evening, the prefect of Modena Fabrizia Triolo said the suspect had been referred to a mental health centre in 2022 for 'schizoid disorders', but had then 'disappeared without a trace'.
Eyewitness reports stated that the vehicle was speeding at least 100 km/h (62 mph) before hitting the victims. Modena's Mayor described the driver as having deliberately driven onto the pavement, hitting several people.
Italy's far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini named the suspect as Salim El Koudri, describing him as a 'second-generation criminal.' However, he is reportedly unemployed and has no prior criminal record.
