On Saturday, May 16, 2026, a 31-year-old man from the Modena area drove his car onto a busy sidewalk on Via Emilia in Modena, Italy, striking multiple pedestrians and crashing into a shop window. Eight people were injured, four critically, including a woman who was pinned against the storefront and is expected to lose both legs. The driver attempted to flee on foot and brandished a knife, causing minor injuries to one bystander who helped stop him, but no confirmed stabbings occurred. He was apprehended by citizens and police, then taken into custody for questioning. Authorities are investigating whether the act was deliberate or influenced by substances. Mayor Massimo Mezzetti called it a 'dramatic' and 'crazy act,' while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described it as 'extremely serious.' No fatalities were reported. The driver, identified in some reports as Salim El Koudri, is an Italian national of North African descent, raised locally. There is no consensus on terrorism, though it has not been ruled out by all sources.

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