Italian Minister: Modena Car-Ramming Suspect Had No Terrorist Group Links
Details of the Modena Car-Ramming Incident
Overview of the Attack
MILAN, May 18 (Reuters) - A man who drove a car into a crowd in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday, injuring eight people, four of them seriously, appears to have no links to any terrorist groups, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in a newspaper interview on Monday.
Suspect's Identity and Actions
• Salim El Koudri, a 31-year-old Italian man of Moroccan origin, attempted to flee and stabbed one of three people who tried to stop him, before being arrested by police.
Investigation Findings
• "At this stage, there are no indications of structured Islamist radicalisation and he does not appear to be linked to fundamentalist propaganda networks," Piantedosi told daily Il Giornale.
• He added that searches of El Koudri's phone, "have so far not revealed elements consistent with the typical profile of a terrorist planning violent acts."
Context and Reactions
Vehicle Attacks in Italy and Worldwide
• Attacks using vehicles to drive into crowds have become more common worldwide, but this was the first of its kind in Italy.
Suspect's Background
Mental Health and Motivations
• Piantedosi said El Koudri, who was born and brought up in Italy, had been diagnosed as having "a schizoid personality disorder" and had "expressed resentment and dissatisfaction with his work and social condition."
Political Response
• Italy's far-right League party, part of Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition, has heightened its anti-immigrant rhetoric since Saturday's incident.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, editing by Gavin Jones and Alexandra Hudson)
