A man draped in Italy's tricolour flag wounded at least six people - all said to be African migrants - in a drive-by shooting in a central Italian city before being detained, authorities said.
The suspect, named by police and the Italian press as Luca Traini, 28, had been a candidate for the anti-immigrant Northern League party in municipal elections last year, according to a party spokeswoman.
The suspect's motive in the shootings in Macerata was not known, but a young Italian woman was gruesomely murdered in the city this past week, allegedly by a Nigerian immigrant, prompting a wave of anger in a nation where many were already seeking to reduce the entry of migrants.
The attack's connection to the Northern League was likely to unsettle Italy as it approaches national elections on March 4. Far-right groups have been gaining in the polls, and the Northern League looks as though it may have a chance to govern as a junior member of a coalition with other right-wing parties.
A police spokesman said Traini was detained near Macerata's central war memorial. A handgun was in the suspect's car, and the green-white-and-red flag of Italy was tied around his shoulders, the official said. Traini admitted his guilt as he was arrested, added the spokesman. The five men and one woman who were shot were expected to recover, Macerata Mayor Romano Carancini said.
