6 Africans Shot in Italy

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A lone Italian gunman shot and wounded six African immigrants Saturday in a two-hour drive-by shooting spree, authorities said, terrorizing a small city in central Italy where a Nigerian man was arrested days earlier in a teenager's gruesome killing.

The shooting suspect, a man alleged to have right-wing political ties, had an Italian flag tied around his neck as he was arrested hours later in Macerata. Authorities identified him as Luca Traini, a 28-year-old Italian with no previous record.

Luca Traini, 28, suspected by police of opening fire on African migrants, is seen in Macerata, Italy, Feb. 3, 2018.
Luca Traini, 28, suspected by police of opening fire on African migrants, is seen in Macerata, Italy, Feb. 3, 2018.
Traini had run for town council on the anti-migrant Northern League's ticket in a local election last year in Corridonia, the party confirmed, but its mayoral candidate lost the race. The news agency ANSA quoted friends of his as saying that Traini had previously been affiliated with Italian extremist parties like the neo-fascist Forza Nuova and CasaPound.

As the violent attack unfolded in Macerata in Italy's central Marche region, police told residents to stay inside and ordered a halt to public transport to limit the casualties. Such violent shootings are rare in Italy and are usually associated with the southern Italian mafia.

A video posted by the il Resto di Carlino newspaper later showed the suspect with an Italian flag draped over his shoulders, being arrested by armed Carabinieri officers in the city center, near where he apparently had fled from his car on foot. Italian news reports said a gun was found inside the car and the suspect did a fascist salute as he was arrested, but no salute was visible in the video.

The shooting spree came days after the slaying of Pamela Mastropietro, 18, and amid a heated electoral campaign in Italy where anti-foreigner sentiment has become a key theme. Italy has been struggling with large numbers of migrants coming across the Mediterranean Sea.