Random murder of young woman sparks immigration debate in Italy

Mr Sangare's arrest ended an intensive investigation during which police took DNA samples from 40 residents and analyzed surveillance camera footage from the town of 8,000 residents to identify the killer.

Mr Sangare's younger sister, Awa, said her family was shocked and regretful about what had happened. “We knew he was not well but we never imagined it could come to this,” she told local news channel Eco.

Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the far-right Lega party, Matteo Salvini, used the case to push through his anti-immigration stance – at a time when Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is urging the government to grant Italian citizenship to underage foreigners who complete most of their schooling in Italy.

On his Instagram account, Salvini posted a photo of the murder victim with the caption: “Moussa Sangare arrested, of North African origin and Italian citizen, suspected of killing poor Sharon.”

Lega MP Rossano Sasso insisted that Sangare was not a real Italian, writing online that he feared “there are many other Moussa-Sangares walking our streets, hating and killing 'because they had nothing to do'.”

Luana Zanella, a Green Party MEP, accused Mr Salvini of linking femicide to ethnic identity, while Riccardo Magi, a More Europe MEP, dismissed the political response as shameful.

“Using a crime to stop a debate about citizenship that has begun in the country is a truly scandalous exploitation,” Magi said.