A man grabbed a knife from a supermarket shelf Thursday and stabbed five people, killing one and wounding four others, including Spanish soccer player Pablo Mari, Italian authorities said.
Police arrested a 46-year-old Italian man suspected in the attack at a shopping center in Assago, a suburb of Milan, carabinieri said.
A supermarket employee died en route to the hospital, according to the news agency ANSA, which said three other victims were in serious condition. Another person was treated for shock but not hospitalized, police said.
The motive for the attacks was unknown, but police said the man showed signs of being psychologically unstable. There were no elements to suggest terrorism.
Mari, who is on loan to the Serie A club Monza from Arsenal, was among the wounded. Arsenal said in a statement that Mari was at the hospital but was not seriously hurt.
Monza club CEO Adrian Galliano wished Mari 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.
People were seen fleeing the supermarket in shock, according to witnesses who spoke to ANSA. As the seriousness of the situation became apparent, store employees pulled down the store’s shutters.
According to the supermarket chain Carrefour, calls alerting police and ambulance crews to the attack were answered right away. The chain offered emotional support to employees and customers who were hurt by the attack and expressed its sympathies to them.
