A close friend of Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni has been identified as one of three women killed during a shooting at a cafe in Rome.
Four people were also injured after a man opened fire during a meeting of a local block’s residents’ committee.
Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri called the incident a “grave episode of violence”, saying he would attend an emergency meeting later today.
A 57-year-old man is currently in custody. Reports suggest he has a history of disputes with certain members of the committee board.
Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper cited Luciana Ciorba, the committee’s vice-president, who was at the cafe in the Fidene district, as saying the gunman had entered the bar on Sunday shouting: “I’ll kill you all!”
She said he then began firing his pistol before being restrained by other residents. He was then detained by police.
Of those people injured, believed to be two women and two men, one remains in a serious condition.
Ms Meloni identified one of the women killed as Nicoletta Golisano. The other two were named as Elisabetta Silenzi and Sabina Sperandio.
She sent her condolences to her friend’s family via Facebook, saying she would always remember Ms Golisano for being “beautiful and happy”.
“Nicoletta was a protective mother, a sincere and discreet friend, a woman strong and fragile at the same time,” she wrote.
“But above all she was a professional with a sense of duty out of the ordinary... Nicoletta was my friend.”
“It’s not right to die like that,” she added. “Nicoletta was happy, and beautiful, in the red dress she bought for her 50th birthday party a few weeks ago. For me she will always be beautiful and happy like that.”
The prime minister said a shooting range from which the suspect had allegedly stolen the gun used in the attack had been closed and was being investigated.
Police have not yet confirmed what the suspect’s motivation for the attack was.
Last week it was announced the Italian PM and her young daughter had been the victim of a death threat.
