A man drove his car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday, injuring eight people, four seriously, officials said. They included a woman who had to have both her legs amputated. After the car came to a halt against a shop window, the driver emerged holding a knife and injured a passer-by who gave chase, before the suspect was overpowered. The suspect, 31, has been identified by officials as an Italian national of Moroccan origin. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who cancelled a planned trip to Cyprus and described the incident as extremely serious, visited the injured in hospital with President Sergio Mattarella on Sunday. She also met Luca Signorelli, the passer-by who intervened, and thanked him for his actions. She expressed on social media that 'what makes an ordinary person heroic is the moment when the heart chooses to do good, even when that involves a risk.' The incident, which occurred around 16:30 local time, shocked the community as witnesses reported seeing the vehicle accelerating at dangerous speeds towards groups of people walking near the iconic cathedral of Modena. Eyewitness accounts suggested the driver aimed for the crowd. Modena's Mayor Massimo Mezzetti mentioned that the driver 'deliberately drove onto the pavement, hitting several people'. The attacker, after causing this chaos, turned on a bystander with a knife and attempted to flee but was ultimately restrained by bystanders. Reports indicate the assailant had previously been referred to a mental health centre for disorders but had since vanished. This incident is under investigation as the community grapples with its aftermath.