‘Mad, racist killer’guns down immigrant vendors

AN ITALIAN man with extreme right-wing views opened fire in an outdoor market in Florence yesterday, killing two vendors from Senegal, police say.

The gunman then critically wounded three other Senegalese immigrants in another Florence market before killing himself.

Florence prosecutor Giuseppe Quattrocchi said the man shot himself in the head in a car park underneath the covered market of San Lorenzo, in the heart of the Tuscan capital, as police were approaching him.

Investigators identified the attacker as Gianluca Casseri, 50. RAI state television said he was known to police for having participated in racist marches by an extreme right-wing group. It said he used a .357 Magnum revolver.

Italy’s president Giorgio Napolitano denounced the “barbarous killing” and “this blind explosion of hatred”.

In a statement, Mr Napolitano called on Italian authorities and society to “combat in the bud every form of intolerance and to reaffirm the tradition of openness and solidarity in our country”.

The mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, described the assailant as a “clear-headed, mad and racist killer”.

Mr Renzi added: “Florence is weeping.”

After the attacks, which happened at lunchtime, Senegalese immigrants in Florence started spontaneously marching toward the centre of the city, yelling “Senegal, Senegal.”

Many Senegalese work as vendors, selling scarves, wallets, belts, handbags and other items in several Italian cities, including Florence and Rome.