Several people were injured when a car drove into pedestrians in the Italian city of Modena, police say.
The driver, a man in his 30s, crashed into a shop window on the historic Via Emilia Centro road before getting out and attacking a passer-by who tried to stop him with a knife, local media reported.
The suspect was subdued by bystanders and arrested by police.
At least eight people were injured, with at least four left in a critical condition, the authorities said. A woman was reported to have had her legs amputated after they were crushed in the car ramming.
Among those hospitalised were a German tourist and a Polish woman, according to Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti.
Luca Signorelli, a witness, told local media: “He [the driver] ran away. So I chased him, and in the meantime, four or five other people followed me.
“He disappeared behind a pile of cars and then popped back out with a knife in his hand.”
Mezzetti said the driver was an Italian national born in Bergamo, of North African origin and a resident of the Modena area. “We are trying to find out more details,” he added.
Mezzetti said: “It seems [the driver] deliberately drove on to the sidewalk, hitting several people and crashing into a shop window. He then got out of his car and brandished a knife.
“Some citizens chased and captured the fugitive, handing him over to law enforcement. He was armed with a knife. It took courage and great civic sense. I thank them.”
Fabrizia Triolo, the prefect of Modena, said the suspect had been referred to a mental health centre in 2022 for schizophrenia, “but after this initial observation period ... he disappeared without a trace”.
A witness told local media that the car had been “zigzagging” and that they had seen “people flying to the ground”.
“It hit three or four people. I saw it swerve and I saw people falling to the ground,” the witness added.
“It was following my trajectory. It was aimed at me. I threw myself to the ground. I avoided it. It hit one person squarely, who lost both legs.”
The car “was going at least 100 miles an hour”, another witness said. “We saw people flying.”
A witness told RaiNews24 he heard people falling and threw himself to the ground as the car approached. He said the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, though authorities have not confirmed this.
Videos showed damaged shop fronts, emergency crews at the scene and one man with blood dripping from his head.
Mezzetti said he wasn’t sure if it was a terrorist incident. “We need to understand the nature of this, but it’s a tragic act. I’m deeply shocked. Whatever its nature, it’s a very serious event. If it were an attack, it would be even more serious.”
He said two of the most seriously injured had been taken by air ambulance to a hospital in nearby Bologna. The six others wounded in the attack were being treated in Modena.
“At the moment, fortunately, we have no fatalities and we very much hope that will not change,” the mayor said.
Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, wrote on X: “What happened today in Modena, where a man ran over several pedestrians and then allegedly stabbed a passer-by, is extremely serious.
“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 and to the law enforcement agencies for their response.
“I have spoken with the Mayor and remain in constant contact with the authorities to follow the developments of the situation. I trust that the perpetrator will be held fully accountable for his actions.”
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