On Saturday, a man of North African origin drove his car into a crowd in the northern Italian city of Modena, southeast of Milan. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously.

The incident occurred around 4:30 PM. Bystanders followed the man and managed to hold him until the police arrived. The man is in his 30s and an Italian citizen, born in Bergamo but of North African origin.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, the perpetrator’s name is Salim El Koudri. Among the injured is a woman who reportedly had both her legs crushed.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the incident as “extremely serious,” while Modena’s mayor, Massimo Mezzeti, added that it would be “even more serious” if it turned out to be a deliberate attack.

“We saw the car approaching; it was heading toward the curb,” said an eyewitness.

“It suddenly accelerated — it was going at least 100 km/h.”

“We saw people flying.”

After hitting people and crashing into a shop window, the man is said to have gotten out of the car and started waving a knife. A man who tried to stop the North African was slightly injured before others joined in to overpower him.