Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has paid tribute to a friend who was among three people killed when a gunman open fire in Rome.

A meeting of apartment block residents was being held at a cafe in the northeastern district of Fidene when three women were killed.

A 57-year-old man from Rome was arrested after the attack.

The shooting occurred in the enclosed outdoor seating area of the cafe, known as Il Posto Giusto. A fourth person suffered serious wounds, according to reports.

Ms Meloni dedicated a post on Instagram to her friend Nicoletta Golisano, who was one of the victims.

“For me she will always be beautiful and happy like this,” Ms Meloni wrote alongside an image of the two of them standing next to each other.

“It is not right to die like this.”

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She described her friend as a “protective mother, a sincere and discreet friend, a strong and fragile woman”.

Ms Golisano, 50, is survived by her husband and 10-year-old son, according to Ms Meloni.

Police arrested the suspect who was overpowered by other residents after the shooting. A witness told Rai News that he had been in a series of disputes with the residents’ association.

“He came into the room, closed the door and shouted ‘I’ll kill you all’ and then started to shoot,” Italian news agency Ansa quoted another eyewitness saying.

Four other people were wounded in the shooting, with at least one of them suffering serious injuries.

A shooting range from which the suspect had taken the gun used in the attack has been closed and placed under investigation by the authorities, Ms Meloni added.

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