Macerata shooting

On 3 February 2018, a right-wing terrorist shooting occurred in Macerata, Italy. It received widespread media coverage and affected Italian politics as it occurred during the political campaign for the 2018 Italian general election.

Macerata shooting
Part of Right-wing terrorism in Europe
"War Memorial of Macerata" where Traini was finally arrested
Location	Macerata, Marche, Italy
Date	3 February 2018 11:00 (UTC+1)
Attack type	Shooting
Weapons	9mm Glock 17 Gen3
Deaths	0
Injured	6
Perpetrators	Luca Traini
Motive	Racism, far-right extremism

Events

On 3 February 2018, in the city of Macerata, Marche, 28-year-old local Luca Traini, driving a black Alfa Romeo 147 and armed with a 9mm Glock 17 Gen3 semi-automatic pistol, seriously wounded, in a drive-by shooting, six African migrants.[1] Traini also targeted the local headquarters of the ruling Italian Democratic Party.[2] After the attack, Traini reportedly had an Italian flag draped on his shoulders and raised his arm in a Fascist salute.[3]

Traini said the attack was revenge for the murder of Pamela Mastropietro, an 18-year-old local girl whose dismembered body had been found a few days earlier, stuffed into two suitcases and dumped in the countryside. For this, a 29-year-old Nigerian national and failed asylum seeker, Innocent Oseghale, had been arrested and charged.[4][5] Oseghale had been denied asylum a year previously, but remained in Italy.[6]

Aftermath

Traini was a member and former local candidate of Lega Nord, and many political commentators, intellectuals and politicians harshly criticized the League's leader Matteo Salvini, accusing him of having spread hate and racism in the country. Particularly, the notable anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano labeled Salvini as the moral instigator of the attack.[7] Salvini responded to critics by accusing the center-left government of responsibility for Mastropietro's death for allowing migrants to stay in the country and having "blood on their hands", asserting the blame lies with those who "fill us with illegal immigrants".[8] Then Italian Minister of the Interior Marco Minniti harshly condemned the attack, saying that no political party must "ride the hate".[9]

During the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, Traini's name was written on one of weapon magazines of the perpetrator, Australia-born Brenton Harrison Tarrant, alongside other far-right mass murderers and killers in addition to historical figures and battles. Tarrant also named Traini as among the shooters and killers that he supported because they "take a stand against ethnic and cultural genocide".[10] Traini dissociated himself from the event, declaring himself to be regretful about Macerata's facts.[11]

Judicial inquiry and conviction

The "Prosecutor's Office of Macerata" formulated against Traini the accusation of massacre aggravated by the purpose of racism, in addition to other crimes, including the abusive port of firearms.[12]

On 3 October 2018 Traini was sentenced to 12 years of detention in prison with a summary judgment.[13]

References

1. "'Racial Hatred' Cited After African Immigrants Are Shot in Italy". New York Times. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
2. "Raid razzista a Macerata, colpita anche la sede Pd (Racism raid in Macerata, DP local office also attacked". la Repubblica (in Italian). 3 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
3. "Suspect shoots, wounds at least six 'people of color' in Italian city amid tensions". The Washington Post. 3 February 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
4. "Macerata, spari da auto in corsa, sei feriti: sono tutti di colore. Una vendetta per Pamela: bloccato un uomo avvolto nel tricolore (Macerata, drive-by shooting, six wounded: all black people. Revenge for Pamela: a man wrapped in the Italian flag arrested". Il Messaggero (in Italian). 3 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
5. "Nigerian charged over dismembered teen (4)". Ansa.it. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
6. "Italian man arrested after African migrants injured in drive-by shootings". The Daily Telegraph. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
7. "Roberto Saviano: "Il mandante morale dei fatti di Macerata è Salvini" (Roberto Saviano: "The moral executor of Macerata's facts is Salvini")". HuffPost (in Italian). 3 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
8. "Raid razzista a Macerata, Salvini: "Colpa di chi ci riempie di clandestini". Renzi: "Ora calma e responsabilità" (Racist raid in Macerata, Salvini: "Guilty is whom fill us with illegal immigrants". Renzi: "Now calm and responsibility")". la Repubblica (in Italian). 3 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
9. "Macerata: Minniti, nessuno cavalchi odio (Macerata: Minniti, no one shall ride hate)". Ansa.it (in Italian). 3 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
10. "Attacco moschee Christchurch, da Luca Traini a Sebastiano Venier tutti i nomi sulle armi del killer (Attack on Christchurch mosques, from Luca Traini to Sebastiano Venier all the names on the killer's weapons)". la Repubblica (in Italian). 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
11. "«Luca Traini si dissocia dalla strage in Nuova Zelanda, lui pentito per Macerata» («Luca Traini dissociates himself from the massacre in New Zealand, he repented for Macerata»". Corriere Adriatico (in Italian). 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
12. "Macerata, l'accusa per Traini: strage aggravata da razzismo (Macerata, the accusation for Traini: massacre aggravated by racism)". Il Secolo XIX (in Italian). 4 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
13. "Macerata, Luca Traini condannato a 12 anni con il rito abbreviato. Ferì sei stranieri dopo omicidio Pamela (Macerata, Luca Traini sentenced to 12 years with summary judgement. He wounded six migrants after Pamela's homicide)". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 3 October 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.