Chronicle

Modena, 55-year-old woman in Bologna (transported by helicopter) is very ill

His name is El Koudri Salim the young man arrested by the police. He is a second-generation Italian. In his car he mowed down pedestrians, then stabbed passers-by.

16 May 2026

Forze dell'ordine e di soccorso dopo che un'auto a velocità sostenuta ha falciato una decina di persone a piedi, in centro a Modena, 16 maggio 2026. Ci sono feriti, alcuni in modo grave. /ANSA/GIORGIA BASSOLI ANSA

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Gravissima woman transported to Bologna
Young man stopped by police
Meloni is closely following what happened
Mayor: dramatic act
Serious injuries. Witness: woman mown down with amputated legs

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Terror in the centre of Modena. A car hurled at crazy speed at pedestrians ran over a dozen people, the driver then got out and stabbed a passer-by who allegedly tried to stop him. There were injuries, some seriously. It happened on Via Emilia centro, with the car coming from Largo Garibaldi. Several police and rescue forces were on the scene.

Gravissima woman transported to Bologna

A 55-year-old woman, very seriously injured and in danger of dying, and a 55-year-old man, also seriously injured. These are the details of the two injured who were hit by a car in Modena and taken by helicopter to the Maggiore hospital in Bologna.

"We saw the car coming, it was aiming for the pavement. It made a sudden acceleration. It was going at least 100 mph, we saw people flying." This is the account of some witnesses to what happened. A total of eight people, five women and three men, were involved in what happened in Modena. Four, it is confirmed, are serious. Three other people, a 27-year-old woman, a 71-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man are in a non-serious condition at the Policlinic of Modena.

The young man stopped by the police

The young man who rammed a few passers-by in the centre of Modena is called El Koudri Salim and was born on 30 March 1995. He is a second-generation, incensed Italian citizen, born in Seriate (in the province of Bergamo) and resident in Ravarino (in the hinterland of Modena). According to information, he tested negative to a swab for alcohol or drugs.

The tragic accidentoccurred around 4.30 p.m. today: many people run over along the road in the centre of Modena, which was very crowded on Saturday afternoon. The man driving escaped, even wounding a person who wanted to stop him with a knife, but was then blocked at the crossroads between rua Pioppa and corso Adriano. Four or five people chased and helped capture the man, handing him over to the police. This was explained by Mayor Massimo Mezzetti: "I want to thank these citizens. The man was also armed with a knife, they had courage and great civic sense. My strong thanks go to them at this dramatic moment".

Meloni is closely following what happened

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is following what happened in Modena with the utmost attention and is in constant contact with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and with Undersecretary to the Prime Minister with responsibility for the Republic's security, Alfredo Mantovano. This was reported by Palazzo Chigi sources, while the Prime Minister is attending the Europe Gulf Forum in Navarino, Greece.

Forze dell'ordine e di soccorso dopo che un'auto a velocità sostenuta ha falciato una decina di persone a piedi, in centro a Modena, 16 maggio 2026. Ci sono feriti, alcuni in modo grave.. ANSA/GIORGIA BASSOLI

Mayor: dramatic act

"We have to understand the nature, but it is a dramatic act, I am deeply affected," said the mayor who arrived at the scene of the accident, "whatever the nature, it is very serious. If it were a attack it would be even more serious'. According to the first testimonies, the first citizen explained, the car driven by a person of North African origin "aimed at the pavement, also hitting a bicycle and then crashed, hitting a woman, who is the most serious, with her legs crushed". "They saw him with a weapon in his hand but he did not manage to stab anyone. Apparently he tried to hit someone."

Serious injuries. Witness: woman mown down with amputated legs

Four people were injured in code three, the most serious: two were taken to Baggiovara hospital in Modena and two by helicopter to Maggiore hospital in Bologna. Plus three others with minor injuries, also taken to Baggiovara. This is the balance - according to sources of the Ausl of Modena - of what happened in the centre of Modena, where a car plunged into people on foot. The lady hit by the car at full speed in the centre of Modena lost both her legs in the impact. This is the detail that emerges from the account of Luca Signorelli, the man who hunted down the author of the investment. "While I was trying to help the lady with the amputated legs,' Signorelli explained to reporters, his head still dripping with blood, 'he (the driver, ed.) ran away. So I chased him, meanwhile four or five other people came after me. He disappeared behind a pile of cars and then emerged with a knife in his hand. He was babbling something but he wasn't Italian'. "Two slashes came at me, one in the heart and the other in the head. A scuffle started,' Signorelli recounts, 'One slash I managed to avoid, the other I caught. Then I blocked his wrist. And then I neutralised him'. He was also helped by other passers-by.

Political reactions

"Salim El Koudri. This is the name of the 'second-generation' criminal who mowed down innocent bystanders with his car at breakneck speed today in Modena. Stopped by brave citizens despite carrying a knife, he was arrested. There can be no justification for such an infamous crime'. Thus on X the leader of the League and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini. "The entire 5 Star Movement stands close to the community of Modena, to the injured, to their families. We thank the people who intervened with courage and civic sense to help immediately stop those who carried out this despicable aggression, the rescuers and the police forces on the scene." M5s leader Giuseppe Conte wrote this on social media.