Italy migrant shootings motivated by 'racial hatred'

Italy migrant shootings motivated by 'racial hatred'
An Italian man who shot and injured six African migrants was motivated by 'racial hatred', the interior ministry has said.
1 min read
03 February, 2018
Six people were injured in the shooting [AFP]
Six African migrants injured in a drive-by shooting in Italy - one of them seriously wounded - were targeted due to "the colour of their skin", the interior ministry said Saturday.

Suspect Luca Traini has been accused of randomly shooting the African men and women during a two-hour spree in the Italian city of Corridonia, Saturday.

Italy's interior ministry said that Traini is part of a culture of "right-wing extremism with clear reference to fascism and Nazism".

Traini was arrested at the scene of the shootings draped in an Italian flag and made facists salutes, however, a video showing the incident did not indicate that Traini made the far-right gesture.

Italian police are also sure the attacks were "racially-motivated", while shots were also fired at a left-wing political party office.

The 28-year-old stood for the far-right Northern League party in elections last year but failed to win any votes.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti said the killings were directly linked to "racial hatred" and said Traini had links with fascist and neo-Nazi groups.

A witness told Reuters that the man drove around the city randomly picking out Black men and women on the streets.

It follows the murder of an 18-year-old Italian woman in the city with a Nigerian man suspected of the killing.