Italy: the neo-Nazis had a missile and an arsenal

An air-to-air missile and an arsenal including even latest-generation machine guns were seized Monday during an operation on a neo-Nazi group in Italy.

The anti-terrorist action targeted citizens "of extremist ideology" who support the war unleashed five years ago by pro-Russian rebels against Ukrainian troops.

The search was authorized at the conclusion of an investigation conducted by the Turin Prosecutor's Office in northwestern Italy. The missile was in perfect condition and is part of the weapons used by the Qatari army, said the police in a statement, which included images of the arfetacto. The missile is made in France, model Matra Super 530F, a length of 3.54 meters, said the Spanish newspaper El País.

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According to a missile expert, this is a modernized version of the R530 in service since 1980, with a range of 25 kilometers. But use from the ground, rather than from an aircraft as intended by the manufacturer, would be "extremely complex," he said. The authorities also found twenty sophisticated weapons, including "latest generation" automatic badault rifles and numerous neo-Nazi ammunition and propaganda items.

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Three people were arrested: Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, former candidate on the lists of the neo-fascist Forza Nuova movement, as well as a 42-year-old Swiss and a 51-year-old Italian, close to the airport of Forli (north-east). It is suspected that they were trying to sell the missile.

Among the intercepted conversations, there are records by Del Bergiolo in which he treats migrants as "monkeys", "blacks" and "invaders". The neo-fascist group Forza Nova issued a statement in which he claimed that he had nothing to do with the subject. "We have some ideas on what they wanted to do with the seized material, but for now we are not disclosing any hypotheses," acknowledged Turin police chief Giuseppe De Matteis . "At the moment, nothing suggests subversive projects," said Eugenio Spina, head of the anti-terrorism sector.

"This is a case almost unprecedented in Italy, with few precedents," said de Matteis, saying that the three men arrested did not seem to be linked to pro-Russian militants in Ukraine, as originally thought. . Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right La Liga, who usually comments on police operations quickly, remained silent all day.

Source: El País