Silvio Berlusconi, the current Prime Minister of Italy, was assaulted in Milan as he signed autographs on Sunday.
The prime minister had been signing autographs and shaking hands with the public after addressing crowds at a rally in Milan when he was hit in the face and knocked to the ground by a man who hit him with a small, metal souvenir replica of the Doumo di Milano, a model of Milan cathedral. The attack occurred after Berlusconi had just finished delivering a speech in the square outside the cathedral at about 6:30 p.m.
The reports however, are still conflicting at this point as it is still unclear whether the attacker hurled a punch or the miniature metal souvenir he was holding at Berlusconi. The 73-year-old Prime Minister, who has been dogged by allegations of corruption and is the middle of a messy divorce from his second wife of 19 years, Veronica Lario, fell to the ground and was quickly ushered into a car by aides. RAI TV showed Berlusconi with blood on his lips as he was lifted to his feet by his bodyguards. He was then taken to a Milan hospital looking stunned.
According to reports, hospital x-rays showed he had suffered damage to two teeth. His doctor said he would be kept under observation for 24 hours.
The man accused of attacking the conservative media-mogul-turned-politician, is a 42-year-old “mentally unstable” man, Massimo Tartaglia, who police said had been undergoing psychological treatment for some time. Tartaglia was taken for questioning by the police.
Over the years Silvio Berlusconi — one of Italy’s richest men, estimated to be worth $6.5 billion, and who has been accused of embezzlement, tax fraud and having paid prostitutes to attend parties at his official residences — has taken more than a few figurative blows, but until today no one had actually landed one for real.
