Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s official visit to Cyprus, scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed following a serious incident in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday that left eight people injured, government spokesperson of the Republic of Cyprus Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.
Two of the injured, who were struck by a vehicle driven into pedestrians in the city’s center, underwent surgery for the removal of their lower limbs. A 55-year-old woman remains in critical condition after being trapped between the vehicle and a shop window. Two other victims, aged 52 and 69, are reported to be in serious condition.
Meloni is now expected to visit Modena on Sunday, alongside Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella, who has thanked citizens who helped assist in the arrest of the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Italian national of Moroccan origin Salim El Koudri.
According to authorities, the suspect drove a car into a crowd of pedestrians in Modena and subsequently stabbed a passerby who attempted to intervene, injuring a total of eight people before being arrested by Italian police.
Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti said the city’s mental health services had recorded indications of schizoid personality disorder exhibited by the suspect between 2022 and 2024. He added that “everything seems to point towards an individual act, beyond the limits of reason.”
