Football: Arsenal defender Pablo Mari injured in stabbing attack in Italy

Arsenal defender Pablo Mari. Photo / Photosport

A man has grabbed a knife from a supermarket shelf and stabbed six people - including Arsenal footballer Pablo Mari - inside a shopping centre south of the Italian city of Milan, killing one person, Italian media reported.

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

A supermarket employee died en route to the hospital, according to the ANSA news agency, which said three other victims were in serious condition.

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

An injured person on a stretcher at the scene of the attack in Milan, Italy. Photo / AP

The wounded included Spanish footballer 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.

“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 centre-back Pablo Mari. We have been in contact with Pablo’s agent who has told us he’s in hospital and is not seriously hurt. Our thoughts are with Pablo and the other victims of this dreadful incident,” the statement said.

Monza club CEO Adrian Galliano wished the 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.

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 chain expressed its sympathies to employees and clients affected by the attack and said it was offering them psychological support.