Officials say Berlusconi in pain, will remain hospitalized after he’s hit in face with statue

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Berlusconi in pain, will remain hospitalized

ROME — Premier Silvio Berlusconi is in pain and will remain hospitalized until at least Tuesday with a fractured nose and two broken teeth from an attack by a mentally disturbed man who hit him in the face with a statuette, doctors and aides said.

The attack shocked Italy, already gripped by a tense political climate and highly polarized between Berlusconi’s supporters and his critics.

It also raised questions about the security surrounding the premier. A government official said he expected the premier’s protection to be tightened, as security officials held an emergency meeting.

The 73-year-old Berlusconi was rushed to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan with his face covered in blood after the attack in the northern Italian city Sunday afternoon.

TV footage showed that the assailant had come close to Berlusconi and hurled a souvenir statue of Milan’s Duomo, the Gothic cathedral that is a symbol of the city, hitting him in the face. Italian newspapers say the statuette was made of metal.

The attacker, a 42-year-old man with a history of psychological problems, has been arrested. After a night of questioning at a police barracks, the man was moved to the San Vittore prison in Milan, the ANSA news agency said. Police have identified him as Massimo Tartaglia.

The premier lost a lot of blood and is taking antibiotics and drugs for “persistent” pain, the hospital said at midday. His vital signs are normal and he is eating with difficulty but will not need surgery, his doctor, Alberto Zangrillo, said.

Berlusconi’s spokesman said the premier is tired and has a strong headache.

“We try to keep him at rest. He would like to re-immerse himself into his frantic activity, but doctors say caution is necessary,” Paolo Bonaiuti told Italian media.

The premier asked to see newspapers upon waking up at the hospital Monday and was visited by aides, Bonaiuti said.

The premier had to scrap some plans, including a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Rome on Wednesday, his office said. The attack also put at risk Berlusconi’s participation at a U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was scheduled to travel on Thursday.

Berlusconi received calls and well get-well wishes from Italian and foreign officials, including the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Berlusconi’s entry into politics has further polarized a society that is traditionally divided into fiercely opposed factions. Along with widespread solidarity for the premier, groups praising Berlusconi’s assailant mushroomed on Facebook in the aftermath of the attack.

Roberto Maroni, who as interior minister is in charge of police forces, said he had counted some 300 Facebook groups praising Tartaglia. He also mentioned Youtube videos showing the attack with comments inciting more violence.

Maroni, who presided over the meeting in Milan, said the security detail would be reviewed, but he also added he did not see any immediate faults. Typically, about 30 secret service agents protect Berlusconi at his public appearances. But the premier, who considers himself a man of the people with a taste for showmanship, also likes to mingle with his supporters and shake hands.

“Berlusconi has the right to get close to his supporters because this is democracy, this is politics,” said Maroni.

Aides and other people who have seen Berlusconi in recent days describe him as worried by what he called a climate of hatred surrounding him.

Zangrillo, who is Berlusconi’s personal physician and the first one to come to the premier’s aide after the attack, said Berlusconi was shocked.

“Staring at his bloodied hand, he told me: ‘There’s a climate of hatred, I expected this would happen,’” Zangrillo was quoted as saying by Corriere della Sera, Italy’s leading newspaper. Bonaiuti, Berlusconi’s spokesman, had similar comments.

Berlusconi is entangled in a sex scandal and faces criminal trials for corruption in Milan after an immunity law was overturned earlier this year. He has faced protests, with tens of thousands marching in Rome on Dec. 5 to demand his resignation. And a turncoat recently alleged Berlusconi had ties to the Mafia, an accusation Berlusconi has forcefully dismissed.

Berlusconi himself has launched vehement attacks at the judiciary, saying the magistrates who put him on trial are politically motivated.