The Italian police have uncovered a network of Neo-Nazis and seized an arsenal of weapons that includes automatic rifles, pistols and objects with Nazi symbols.

In a special operation, the anti-terrorist division of the Italian state police in Turin arrested three people and seized an arsenal of weapons, which included an air-to-air missile, which presumably belonged to the right-wing extremists who had been involved in the Donbas conflict, the Italian police announced in a statement on 15 July.

The investigation began about a year ago. The Turin police, in conjunction with the Central Police Directorate for Crime Prevention, started monitoring several persons linked to the ultra-right who had previously been involved in fighting in the Donbas, the report states.

After tapping phone calls and tracking movements, it was learned that one of the individuals under surveillance – a native of Gallarate in the province of Varese – had been involved in the sale of a missile which was later discovered in the province of Pavia. Two of his accomplices were also arrested, an Italian and a Swede. The missile in question was reportedly a French Matra Super 530, which is used by the armed forces of Qatar, among others.

During the raid, police confiscated nine assault rifles, one machine gun, seven pistols, three hunting weapons, 20 bayonets, about a thousand cartridges, and several placards with Nazi symbols.

The DPA news agency notes that the arsenal was discovered in the home of 60 year-old Fabio Del Bergiolo from Gallarate. According to Varese News, for many years Bergiolo was a member of the ultra-right political party Forze Nuova (“New Force”), and was also this party’s candidate in the senate

Forze Nuova was founded in 1997. Its ideology is based on extreme nationalism, Catholic traditionalism and the legacy of Italian fascism.

  italy, Russia, Qatar

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