Berlusconi bloodied following attack

AN attacker hurled a statuette at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, striking the leader in the face at the end of a rally yesterday and leaving the stunned 73-year-old media mogul with a bloodied mouth, police said.

The 42-year-old man accused of attacking Berlusconi in Milan as he signed autographs was immediately taken into custody. The Italian leader was rushed to hospital, where he was kept overnight.

TV showed the stunned Berlusconi with blood under his nose, on his mouth and under one eye as he was lifted to his feet by aides after the attack. The leader was hustled into the back of a car, but he immediately got out, apparently to show he was not badly injured.