Berlusconi attacker may be sent to psychiatric unit, Berlusconi to remain hospitalized

Berlusconi attacker may be sent to psych unit

ROME — The man who attacked Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was carrying pepper spray and a crucifix as he waited for the premier, an Italian official said Tuesday as a judge considered whether the suspect should be transferred to a psychiatric hospital.

The 73-year-old Berlusconi was struck in the face Sunday as the man hurled a statuette of Milan’s Duomo at him as the premier signed autographs in Milan. The attack fractured Berlusconi’s nose, broke two of his teeth and lacerated his lips.

The attacker, Massimo Tartaglia, a 42-year-old man who police say has a history of psychological problems, was being questioned in jail Tuesday. His defense lawyer, Daniela Insalaco, told reporters outside the Milan’s San Vittore prison that she was awaiting a ruling on whether Tartaglia should be sent to a psychiatric unit.

It was not clear when that ruling would be issued.

Italian news reports said Tartaglia wrote a letter to Berlusconi late Monday, saying he was sorry for his “superficial, cowardly and uncontrolled” act.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, meanwhile, gave fresh details on the attack to lawmakers in parliament on Tuesday.

Medical officials said Berlusconi must stay in the hospital until at least Wednesday and should probably cancel all public activities throughout the Christmas season.

The medical bulletin issued Tuesday by the San Raffaele hospital in Milan said Berlusconi was still in pain but his condition was not worrisome. It recommended that Berlusconi not be involved in public activities for at least two weeks.

“He greatly wants to get over this difficult moment. I would be happy if we could slow him down a little,” Berlusconi’s spokesman Paolo Bonaiuti told TV broadcaster SkyTg24.

The attack has already forced the cancellation of some of Berlusconi’s plans, including a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Rome on Wednesday. Berlusconi’s participation at a U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen was also unlikely.

Berlusconi’s doctor Alberto Zangrillo told reporters the premier is doing better but is “saddened.”

The attack, which shocked Italians, came amid an increasingly tense political atmosphere. Berlusconi has for months denounced a “climate of hatred” he says surrounds him as he fends off a sex scandal and judicial troubles.

The bloody image of Berlusconi has created sympathy, but groups praising Berlusconi’s assailant mushroomed on Facebook in the aftermath of the attack.

Get-well wishes from Italians and foreign officials have poured in after the attack, including from the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“This brutal and pointless attack has shocked us all. I wish him a swift recovery and a rapid return to the leadership of Italy,” EU president-to-be Herman Van Rompuy said Tuesday.