Chaos in Modena as speeding car strikes pedestrians and armed suspect attacks bystanders trying to stop him
At least eight people were injured on Saturday in Modena, Italy, when a crazed driver drove his car into a crowd at full speed — and then stabbed a hero who stopped him when he attempted to flee after his cowardly act.
The man has been identified by authorities as Salim el Koudri, a 31-year-old Italian citizen of Moroccan origin.
The motive is not yet known, but a terrorist attack is not being ruled out, Italian newspaper La Pressa reported.
El Koudri accelerated suddenly then zigzagged erratically on Via Emilia in the northern Italian city around 4:30 pm, mowing down at least four pedestrians.
“He was going at least a hundred kilometers per hour, we saw people flying,” said one witness, Il Messagero reported.
Witnesses describe the attacker as a North African man in his 30s./LaPresse via AP
Terror has not been ruled out in the attack.ZUMAPRESS.com
The #terroristattack in #Modena, Italy. A car rammed into a group of people in the city center, after which the driver got out of the car and attacked passersby with a knife. At least 12 people were injured.#Italy pic.twitter.com/MjSyf6Gc3d
— Tesla Dogs (@TeslaDogs) May 16, 2026
He crashed his silver Citroen C3 into a storefront window, crushing a 52-year-old woman between the car’s front end and the shop.
She was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and will likely have both legs amputated, authorities reported.
After crashing, the knife-wielding maniac tried to run but was chased down by a crowd that included Luca Signorelli, who was viciously gashed in the head during the scuffle, Italian media reported.
A damaged grocery store is pictured after several people were injured when a car drove into pedestrians in the center of the northern Italian city of Modena, on May 16, 2026.REUTERS
People look on at the scene after several people were injured.REUTERS
“He disappeared behind a row of cars and then suddenly reappeared with a knife in his hand,” Signorelli told reporters, his head still dripping with blood.
“He was babbling something, but it wasn’t Italian. Two slashing blows came at me—one aimed at the heart, the other at the head. A scuffle broke out,” he recounted.
“I managed to dodge one of the strikes, but the other one hit me. Then I pinned his wrist. And then I neutralized him.”
After crashing, the knife-wielding maniac tried to run but was chased down by a crowd that included Luca Signorelli, who was viciously gashed in the head during the scuffle, Italian media reported. ZUMAPRESS.com
The mayor said that at least seven people were injured.REUTERS
In all, at least eight people have been injured – five women and three men, according to the mayor, who thanked Signorelli and the others for helping catch the lunatic.
“My huge thanks go to them for the courage and civic sense they had,” said Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti, who rushed to the scene after the attack.
“It is a dramatic event. I am deeply shaken,” he added.
CCTV footage shows a car ramming into pedestrians in Modena, Italy, on May 16, 2026, in this frame grab from a social media video.via REUTERS
“Whatever the nature of the incident, it is a very grave matter. If it turns out to be a deliberate attack, it would be even more serious.”
El Koudri, an economics graduate without a stable job, was taken to the Modena police station for questioning, while his home was being searched Saturday.
The terrorism unit of the Bologna District Prosecutor’s Office is also assisting the investigation.
“What happened today in Modena, where a man ran over several pedestrians and then allegedly stabbed a passerby, is extremely serious,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X.
“I express my closeness to the injured people and their families. I also extend my thanks to the citizens who bravely intervened to stop the perpetrator.”
Explore more:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
