Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella travelled to the northern city of Modena on Sunday, a day after eight people were injured in a car-ramming attack.
Salim El Koudri, a 31-year-old man, born in Italy and of Moroccan origin, drove into a crowd in the city centre on Saturday afternoon, leaving four seriously injured.
He tried to flee and stabbed one of three passersby who attempted to stop him, and was later arrested by police.
The suspect is under investigation for attempted massacre and personal injury, Modena's prosecutors said in a statement on Sunday, as they seek to establish his motives.
No links to extremist groups have emerged in the investigation.
Read more from Sky News:
Ukraine launches large drone attack on Moscow
The dark art of GPS jamming in the Iran war
The prosecutors said the driver hit pedestrians in the crowded city centre, which has more than 180,000 residents, in an "indiscriminate, random and deliberate manner".
Massimo Mezzetti, the mayor of Modena, said on Saturday that the vehicle entered one of the city's main streets and the man drove onto the pavement "sending several people flying", before crashing into a shop window.
The scene was cordoned off as ambulances treated people in the street.
Victims were taken to hospitals in Modena and Bologna, with the most critical cases transported by helicopter.
Among those seriously injured, two lost their legs and one was in a life-threatening condition, the prosecutors added.
Ms Meloni cancelled a meeting in Nicosia with Cyprus' president to travel to Modena alongside Mr Mattarella on Sunday, government sources said, asking not to be named.
The city's mayor said Mr El Koudri had been treated for mental health issues in the past.
He also said he held a degree in economics and was unemployed. Prosecutors have not confirmed these details.
Investigators said at a press conference on Saturday evening there was no immediate indication the man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. His home was searched as part of the investigation.
Ms Meloni expressed her "solidarity" with those who were injured and their families on the day of the attack.
"What happened in Modena is extremely serious. I trust the person responsible will be held fully accountable for his actions," she said in a post on X.
(c) Sky News 2026: Meloni cancels meetings to visit Modena after car-ramming attack
Ten dead in Mexico shooting
NATO's biggest special forces exercise in Europe takes place as US reduces support for allies
Four crew members ejected after military jets crash during US air show
Aaron Rai becomes first English winner of PGA Championship in over a century
Nine UK citizens exposed to hantavirus returning to Britain
Indian worker among four killed as Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow in over a year
'Everyone is doing it': The dark art of GPS jamming in the Iran war
Finnish divers arrive in Maldives - as search for bodies of four Italians continues
Train driver charged after deadly crash in Thailand
