- guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 December 2009 17.09 GMT
The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is to spend a fourth night in hospital recovering from an attack which left him with a broken nose and two chipped teeth.
Although doctors treating the 73-year-old billionaire at a hospital in Milan had been expected to discharge him today, it was announced this afternoon that he would be kept in overnight.
Berlusconi's personal physician said his patient was "still in pain and was having difficulty eating".
The move is likely to fuel speculation about the state of the prime minister's health.
The Italian premier was attacked in Milan on Sunday while signing autographs outside the city's cathedral. As he greeted the crowds, a 42-year-old man threw a model of the cathedral at his face. Berlusconi fell to the ground before being ushered into a car by aides.
Earlier today, police in Milan announced that they had arrested a 26-year-old man who had tried to reach the prime minister's hospital room early this morning.
Officers said the man, who appeared to have psychological problems, had told them he wanted to talk to Berlusconi.
They said the man had entered the hospital at about 2am through the underground car park and had simply taken the lift to the seventh floor, where Berlusconi is convalescing.
Police said he was immediately detained and searched, but was not carrying any weapons.
It also emerged today that President Barack Obama has phoned Berlusconi to wish him a "speedy recovery". A White House spokesman said the president had found Berlusconi to be "in good spirits" after Sunday's assault.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister and an old friend, has also called to praise Berlusconi for his bravery.
In a statement posted on his website, Berlusconi urged his supporters to "stay calm and confident", adding: "Love always wins over jealousy and hatred."
His political friends, however, are furious at the response the attack has generated in some quarters – and particularly at the Facebook groups that have sprung up praising Massimo Tartaglia, the man who allegedly assaulted Berlusconi.
The prime minister's allies say the normally irrepressible premier is badly shaken and asked a visiting priest: "Why do they hate me to this point?"
Although Tartaglia has written to Berlusconi apologising for his "cowardly and rash act" – and his lawyers have claimed he was acting alone – the interior minister, Roberto Maroni, has called it a premeditated attack driven by long-simmering anger towards Berlusconi.
Maroni said the cabinet would announce measures tomorrow to keep Italians and their leaders safe. Citing the risk of a "dangerous spiral of copycat attacks" and absolving security forces of all blame, he said the government was considering obscuring websites or social network groups that incited violence. It would also consider new rules for gatherings in public places.
Analysts say the assault will strengthen Berlusconi's hand within his centre-right coalition, and a conservative politician said it could help heal a rift between Berlusconi and a senior ally, Gianfranco Fini, who has been sharply critical of the premier.
• This article was amended on 17 December 2009. The original stated that Berlusconi was in a hospital in Turin, when it was in Milan. This has been corrected.
