Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedossi today dismissed the possibility that a car and knife attack in Modena, carried out by an Italian citizen of Moroccan origin, was an act of terrorism, but said the acts highlighted challenges related to integration and social unrest.
Eight people were injured in Modena on Saturday, four of them critically, when Salim El Kudri, 31, drove into pedestrians on the street, eventually crashing into a shop window, and then stabbed a bystander as he tried to escape. He was subdued by a passerby before police arrived and arrested him.
While he dismissed the possibility of terrorism, Piandedossi said what the suspect did could not be dismissed as an isolated incident. According to the minister, investigators still need to fully examine the factors behind the attack, and social marginalization and perceived discrimination may have played a role in the attacker's motivation.
"At this point, there are no elements that correspond to the classic profile of a terrorist planning violent actions. But this cannot lead us to dismiss this attack as the act of an isolated lunatic," said Piantedossi, who mentioned the suspect's mental problems and social anxiety.
Piantedossi spoke out as some Italian politicians seized on the attacks to resort to xenophobic rhetoric and as there was a renewed focus on so-called second-generation Italians - people born or raised in Italy but whose parents are foreigners. These people are often at the center of debates about identity, citizenship and integration.
Salim El Kudri is charged with massacre and causing grievous bodily harm, and a court hearing regarding the approval of his detention has been postponed until Tuesday morning.
El Kudri was born in Italy, is a university-educated man and has been diagnosed with a personality disorder. He showed frustration with his job and social conditions, local authorities say.
He was treated in 2022 for what officials described as schizophrenia, but stopped attending treatment.
Still, the case has fueled a political debate in Italy, where controlling and limiting migration is a key priority in Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni's right-wing political agenda.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League, described the suspect as a "second-generation criminal" and called for tougher anti-immigration measures.
The opposition criticized the government for trying to use this case to tighten immigration rules.
Piantedossi today sought to draw a distinction between the Modena attack and the government's migration policies, pointing out that the attacker has Italian citizenship but that this does not guarantee successful integration.
The minister mentioned an email that El-Khudri sent to his university in which he used offensive language about Christians, after which he apologized. Piantedosti suggested that it may have been anger over perceived discrimination, but noted that investigators were still trying to establish a motive for the attack.
According to him, the incident raises "big questions" about integration, identity and marginalization, especially among some second-generation immigrants.
Interior Minister Antonio Tajani made it clear yesterday that the suspect is an Italian citizen, not an immigrant. Tajani is due to travel to Modena today to visit the injured.
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