Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will stay in a hospital for observation overnight after being attacked at a campaign rally in Milan, a spokesman said Sunday.

Milan police were questioning a mental illness man in connection with the attack, which left the Berlusconi (73) bleeding profusely from his left upper lip and cheek. The premier underwent a CAT scan at Milan's San Raffaele Hospital, and his personal physician, Alberto Sangrillon, recommended more tests be done, Berlusconi spokesman Paolo Buonaiuti told CNN.

The conservative media-mogul-turned-politician has been dogged by allegations of corruption and is in the middle of a messy divorce from his second wife. He was in Milan, his hometown and political base, to stump for a local political ally.

Milan police said Berlusconi's attacker hit him with a not big, metal souvenir replica of the city's central cathedral - Doumo di Milano, but it was not spontaneously clear whether the man swung at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with the object in his hand or threw it at him.

Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that Berlusconi continued to shake hands with supporters for "a couple of minutes" after being hit.

"He remained calm and leaned out the window as he was being driven to the hospital and waved to the crowd," La Russa said.

Buonaiuti said there was "a lot of confusion" surrounding the assault, but he put some of the blame on Berlusconi's critics.

"What I can tell you is that there has been such a buildup of hatred toward the premier, and this is not good," Buonaiuti said. "This campaign of hatred has been building quite rapidly recently, and I am not surprised that what happened tonight took place."

Berlusconi remains popular between the Italian public, however, with his approbation ratings remaining well over 50 percent. He won a third term in 2008, and his conservative coalition has control of both the Italian Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

source: cnn berlusconi bloomberg