Rome: Police detained a man attempting to enter Silvio Berlusconi's Milan hospital ward, three days after an assault at a rally left the Italian premier with a fractured nose and broken teeth.
Berlusconi, 73, may leave San Raffaele hospital today following the December 13 assault in Milan that left him with a bloodied face.
An unidentified 26 year old from Turin tried to enter his ward on the seventh floor at 2am Wednesday to talk to him, a police spokesman said.
The man, who was not armed and is not a patient, is being detained and questioned.
Massimo Tartaglia, 42, is being held in Milan's San Vittore jail after allegedly hurling an alabaster statuette of the city's Gothic cathedral at Berlusconi from close range as the premier shook hands with supporters. After the attack, Berlusconi stood on the door jamb of his car with blood dripping from his face before being rushed to the hospital.
Tartaglia has received treatment for psychological problems for the last decade, his father told Sky TG24 on December 14. The man detained this morning may also suffer from mental disorders, Ansa news agency reported.
Rest
Doctors have ordered Berlusconi to rest for at least two weeks, the San Raffaele hospital said yesterday in a statement. A new medical bulletin will be released at 1pm local time.
The injuries mean Berlusconi will miss political events both at home and abroad. He had planned to join 100 world leaders this week in Copenhagen for United Nations climate-change talks aimed at reaching a global-warming accord. He will also probably skip his traditional end-of-year press conference.
In his first public reaction since the incident, Berlusconi yesterday thanked well-wishers and said "love always prevails over envy and hate". The message was posted on his People of Liberty party's website.
