Arsenal defender Pablo Mari was 'stabbed and seriously hurt' in a supermarket in northern Italy tonight with one victim dying from their injuries.
The incident allegedly took place in a Carrefour in the Milanofiori di Assago shopping centre at around 6.30pm.
The 29-year-old, who currently plays for Monza, was one of six people attacked near Milan.
Four men, aged 28, 30, 40 and 80, were reportedly in a serious condition, with a cashier rushed to Rozzano, and one has since passed away.
Two elderly women are said to be in a less serious condition, while Mari was airlifted to Niguarda Hospital and is conscious.
He has received visits from the managing director of Monza, Adriano Galliani, and coach Raffaele Palladino.
Galliani was quoted by Sky Sports Italy as saying: 'Pablo Mari had a fairly deep wound on his back, which fortunately did not touch vital organs such as the lungs or other.
'His life is not in danger, he should recover quickly.'
Sources at Arsenal earlier told MailOnline that Mari's agent had described the wound as being a superficial leg injury.
A 46-year-old man is believed to have picked up a knife from the shelves in the supermarket and then started randomly stabbing people.
He has been arrested and taken into police custody.
The motive for the attacks was unknown. Italian authorities said there were no elements to suggest terrorism, LaPresse reported.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, confirmed the club's technical director Edu Gaspar had been in contact with Mari's relatives.
Speaking after Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat at PSV Eindhoven, he said: 'I just found out, I know Edu has been in touch with his family... he's in hospital, he seems to be ok. Hopefully he's ok.'
A statement on Arsenal's website read: '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.'
A Monza statement read: 'Pablo Mari has quite a deep cut to his back, but fortunately it did not reach any vital organs like the lungs or anything else.
'His life is not in danger, he should recover quickly. He has some lesions, but not very serious. He is conscious and getting stitches.'
Monza's president Galliani released a statement via the club's official Twitter account which read: '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.'
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.
A witness told La Repubblica: 'We were at the bar and we thought it was a robbery because we saw some boys and a lady running, then we saw more and more people with upset faces and we realised that something serious had happened.'
Mari completed a loan move to the Serie A side for the 2022-23 season in August after making 22 appearances for the Gunners.
The Spaniard initially joined Arsenal on loan from Brazilian side Flamengo in January 2020 and made the move permanent the following summer.
Mari spent the second half of last season in Italy on loan at Udinese, where he made 15 appearances.
'Everyone at Arsenal wishes Pablo well in Italy with AC Monza during this next stage of his career,' said a statement on the club website.
'The deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.'