1 killed in stabbing attack in Italy; Arsenal footballer among injured

One person was killed and four others including Arsenal defender Pablo Mari were injured after a man grabbed a knife from a supermarket shelf and stabbed five people in Italy’s Milan.

Police arrested a 46-year-old Italian man suspected in the attack, news agency LaPresse reported.

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Reports said that a supermarket employee died en route to the hospital while the condition of three others injured in the incident was serious.

The motive for the attacks was unknown. Italian authorities said there were no elements to suggest terrorism.

The wounded included a Spanish soccer player, Pablo Mari, who is on loan to the Serie A club Monza from Arsenal. Arsenal said in a statement that Mari was at the hospital but was not seriously hurt.

Monza club CEO Adrian Galliano wished the soccer player a speedy recovery in a message posted on Twitter.

“Dear Pablo, we are all close to your and to your family, we love you, continue to fight as you know how, you are a warrior and will heal quickly, Galliano said.

The Carabinieri police in Assago who were investigating the attacks refused to confirm any details.

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Witnesses told ANSA they saw people fleeing the supermarket in shock, and as the gravity of the situation became clear, shop workers pulled down the store’s shutters.

The Carrefour supermarket chain said that police and ambulance crews responded immediately to calls alerting them about the attack. The company expressed its sympathies to employees and clients affected by the attack and said it was offering them psychological support.

(With inputs from agencies)

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