Air-to-air missile seized from far-right group in Italy, say officials
Three men detained during raids - including one linked to neo-fascist political party
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Italian police have seized an air-to-air missile and a huge stash of automatic weapons during raids on far-right groups, officials have said.
Three men were detained, including one linked to a neo-fascist Italian political party.
Police said the discoveries stemmed from a previous investigation into Italians who took part in the Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
In a statement, Turin police said one of the arrested men had run unsuccessfully as a Senate candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party in 2001.
At his home in Gallarate, police found nine assault weapons, nearly 30 hunting rifles, pistols and bayonets as well as ammunition and antique Nazi plaques featuring swastikas.
Two other men were detained after police found a French-made missile at an airport hangar that they apparently were seeking to sell.
The missile reportedly came from Qatar.
The arrested men were named in Italian media as Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a Forza Nuova party activist; Alessandro Monti, a 42-year-old Swiss national, and Fabio Bernardi, a 51-year-old Italian.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments