Modena car-attack suspect Salim El Koudri survives suicide attempt in prison

Emergency hospitalisation at Sant'Anna prison

Salim El Koudri, the 31-year-old inmate accused of carrying out the 16 May vehicular attack in central Modena, attempted suicide on 6 October 2026 inside the Sant'Anna prison in Modena. According to his defense lawyer, Fausto Gianelli, El Koudri ingested prescription medication belonging to his cellmate, who has a diagnosed heart condition. Prison personnel found him unresponsive and transferred him in an unconscious state to a hospital in Modena for urgent medical care. Physicians later confirmed that El Koudri regained consciousness, underwent toxicological evaluation, and is not in life-threatening danger. Prison authorities had previously assigned him to the specialized I Care wing near the infirmary, an area intended for inmates evaluated as suicide risks.

The 16 May vehicular attack

The charges against El Koudri stem from an incident on 16 May 2026, when he drove a Citroen C3 into pedestrians in the historic center of Modena. The vehicle struck eight people, and El Koudri subsequently stabbed a bystander who attempted to intervene and stop him. One of the victims, 55-year-old Monica Esposito, sustained critical injuries and received treatment at the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna before being transferred to the intensive care unit at the Baggiovara Civil Hospital in Modena. Esposito never regained consciousness and died from her injuries two months later. Prosecutors have charged El Koudri with massacre under Italian criminal law.

Psychiatric evaluation and trial fitness

The suicide attempt occurred four days after a formal evidentiary hearing held on 2 October 2026 at the Court of Modena. During that session, court-appointed psychiatric experts Matilde Forghieri and Giuseppe Sartori presented their formal assessment regarding El Koudri's mental state to the judge. The experts concluded that while the defendant displays a psychiatric condition, he possessed full mental capacity and was capable of understanding and intending his actions on the day of the attack. Their report established no causal link between his psychiatric symptoms and the vehicular assault, determining that El Koudri is legally competent to stand trial.

Prison conditions and regional ombudsman reaction

The incident prompted scrutiny from the regional ombudsman for prisoners' rights in Emilia-Romagna, Roberto Cavalieri, who addressed the frequency of self-harm in local detention facilities. Cavalieri noted that while high-profile cases attract public attention, inmate suicide attempts occur across the regional prison network at a rate of one every 33 hours.

This episode is talked about because the inmate is known, but every 33 hours in this region a prisoner attempts to kill themselves. We must recognise their right to still be considered human, supporting them in moments of despair. This takes nothing away from their responsibility and from the pain of the victims.

Judicial authorities and prison administrators have opened an internal inquiry to determine how El Koudri accessed the full dosage of his cellmate's cardiac medication. The 31-year-old remains hospitalized under guard in Modena while medical teams monitor his condition before returning him to the detention facility.