STOCKHOLM, November 9, 2010 (AFP) - A Swedish man suspected of a year-long shooting spree against immigrants was remanded in custody on Tuesday, facing one charge of murder and five of attempted murder, a court official said.

"He has been remanded in custody," a clerk at the Malmö district court in southern Sweden told AFP. He said charges should be brought against him by November 23, but he refused to provide further details.

Since his arrest late Saturday, the suspect has only been identified by police as a 38-year-old ethnic Swede, but media reports have named him as Peter Mangs.

Prosecutor Solveig Wollstad requested he be remanded in custody on suspicion of the murder of a 20-year-old woman in October 2009 and five attempted murders since.

She insisted there was a chance he would continue his alleged criminal behaviour or would try to destroy evidence if released.

The judge ordered the courtroom cleared about five minutes into the hearing, and the remainder of the hearing was held behind closed doors.

Defence lawyer Christina Brink said her client denied any wrongdoing and opposed being held in custody, the Expressen daily reported.

The ruling to keep him in custody came as a massive Malmoe police investigation continued into whether a lone shooter with racist motives was behind some 15 attacks over the past year, killing one person and injuring several others.

The shooter may even have committed unsolved murders dating as far back as 2003, police said.

The incidents in the southern city bore chilling similarity to the case of a gunman who targeted immigrants in Stockholm in the early 1990s, dubbed "Laserman".

Police have said the man arrested Saturday possessed a licence for two weapons, which were seized during a search of his home.

Expressen reported that at least one of the weapons has been linked to a number of the shootings being investigated as part of the case.