Professional soccer player Pablo Mari is hospitalized after suffering an injury during a stabbing at a grocery store in Italy. The attack also left a cashier dead.
A man, 46, allegedly walked into a Carrefour market in Assago and randomly began stabbing people, local police said according to BBC.
Panicked screams could be heard inside the market as some shoppers tried to get away. Others managed to get the suspect under control until authorities arrived and arrested the attacker. The suspect is said to be struggling with mental health issues.
A 30-year-old cashier died during the incident, the outlet added.
Mari, 29, was one of the people hurt, the outlet added, noting that he suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is being treated at a local hospital.
Mari is currently on loan from Arsenal — which he joined in early 2020 — and is playing for Italian club Monza.
Aside from Mari, five others were injured, according to Sky News.
Adriano Galliani, the chief executive of Monza, said, "Pablo Mari had a fairly deep wound on his back, which fortunately did not touch vital organs such as the lungs or other," adding, "His life is not in danger, he should recover quickly."
He said the attacker punched Mari in the face and then stabbed him in the back. Standing at 6 feet, 4 inches, Galliani said Mari's tall stature "saved" him.
Sky News added that it's speculated the suspect got a knife from the grocery store before going on a rampage.
Arsenal addressed the stabbings on its website, writing in a statement, "We are all shocked to hear the dreadful news about the stabbing in Italy, which has put a number of people in hospital including our on-loan center-back Pablo Mari.
"We have been in contact with Pablo's agent who has told us he's in the hospital and is not seriously hurt. Our thoughts are with Pablo and the other victims of this dreadful incident."
Galliani also shared a message for Mari on Twitter via the team's Twitter.
He wrote a message in Italian that reads, according to Google Translate, "Dear Pablo, we are all here close to you and your family, we love you, keep fighting as you know how to do, you are a warrior and you will get well soon."
