On February 2, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella visited victims of a car-ramming and stabbing attack that occurred on the main shopping street of the northern city of Modena.
Around 4:30 p.m. local time on February 1, a 31-year-old man identified as Salim El Koudri drove at high speed through the city center, hitting over a dozen people. He also stabbed a pedestrian before being stopped by a group of bystanders. Eight people were taken to hospitals in critical condition, according to ANSA news agency.
Two women aged 55 and 69 had their legs amputated, with one still in life-threatening condition, the Modena prosecutor's office said in a statement on February 2. Prosecutors described the attack as carried out “indiscriminately, randomly, and deliberately.”
Italy’s leaders made no public statements after visiting the two hospitals where victims were being treated on February 2. Earlier, Prime Minister Meloni called the attack “extremely serious” and thanked citizens who “bravely intervened to stop the perpetrator, as well as the police for their intervention.”
El Koudri was born in the northern province of Bergamo, Italy, to a family of Moroccan origin, according to ANSA.
Suspect has mental health issues
Speaking to reporters on February 2, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the investigation was ongoing but the incident appeared to be related to “a state of mental distress.”
“Nothing has escaped our attention from a counter-terrorism perspective,” he added.
Italian broadcaster RaiNews reported that the suspect showed symptoms of schizoaffective disorder and had been treated at a mental health center in the same province where the incident occurred between 2022 and 2024.
Hard-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who leads the anti-immigration League party in the ruling coalition, commented on El Koudri’s background, emphasizing that he was a “second-generation” Italian citizen.
Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti later highlighted that two of the four citizens who intervened to stop the fleeing attacker were foreigners. “They too are symbols of a community that knows how to react, unite and intervene even in this tragic moment. The entire Modena community must follow the example of these citizens,” he said.
