Italian police said on Monday they had seized weapons including an air-to-air missile in raids sparked by an investigation into far-right extremist groups.

“During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized,” police said.

As well as the 800kg Matra missile, the bust in northern Italy uncovered a whole host of sophisticated weapons, including “latest generation” automatic assault rifles and rocket launchers.

“This is a significant seizure, with few precedents in Italy,” said Turin police commissioner Giuseppe De Matteis.

Police arrested three people including Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a former candidate for the Neo-Fascist Forza Nuova party.

The missile, 3.54 metres long was made in France and Del Bergiolo had been hoping to sell it for €470,000 ($A752,000), according to Italian media reports.

The missile was “without explosive charge, but re-armable by people specialised in the field,” police said.

“For now, nothing leads us to suspect” an active plot to use the weapons, said counter-terrorism official Eugenio Spina.

The Super 530 F was a modernisation of the R530 missile that went into service in 1980, and has a range of 25 kilometres, with an explosive charge of 30 kilos.

“It is extremely dangerous and risky to turn it into a missile to fire from the ground, unless you have good engineers and equipment,” a missile expert who asked not to be named told AFP.

Similarly, because of its age, it is “extremely unlikely that it can be used, but its use can be changed,” he added.

The raids were the result of a separate police probe into Italian extremists known to have joined pro-Russian rebels in fighting Ukrainian troops.

Messages intercepted by the police led them to investigate Del Bergiolo, who had sent photographs of the missile for sale through the Whatsapp messaging service.

They put him under surveillance before raiding his home and finding neo-Nazi propaganda, Hitler memorabilia, and a stash of weapons including a Scorpion machine gun, 306 firearm parts and 20 bayonets.

The other arrests were a Swiss, 42, and an Italian, 51, accused of holding and marketing the missile, which was found by police at a warehouse near the small Rivanazzano Terme airport in the Pavia province.

The Digos law enforcement agency, which deals largely with terrorism and organised crime, led the operation from Turin with assistance from police in Forli, Milan, Novara and Varese.

“We have some idea about what the seized equipment could be used for, but will not speculate,” Mr De Matteis told reporters.

The Forza Nuova party released a statement Monday distancing itself from Del Bergiolo.

Police have carried out several raids in recent weeks on far-right targets around Turin, with a man arrested earlier this month for advocating fascism and possessing illegal weapons.

While Italy’s far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini was uncharacteristically quiet following the raid, the opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) urged the country’s populist government to do more to tackle right-wing extremists.

“The far right in this country traffics weapons of war, and even missiles. It’s an incredible, very serious event,” said Maurizio Martina, the PD’s former party head. </s> Italian police seized an air-to-air missile, rifles, rocket launchers and other weapons in raids on alleged neo-Nazis.

The authorities found a variety of Nazi memorabilia in the raids, which were carried out as part of a probe into the far-right's involvement in the Ukrainian civil war.

Three men were arrested in the operation after allegedly attempting to sell a French Matra missile to an official from a foreign government for €470,000 (£422,924).

Police said the raids were the result of an investigation into members of the country's far-right fighting with Russian-backed militias in eastern Ukraine.

Counter-terrorism officers arrested Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a Swiss man, 42, and a 51-year-old Italian over a failed bid to sell the rocket.

The authorities discovered 30 hunting rifles, nine assault weapons, pistols, bayonets, ammunition and swastika-emblazoned Nazi memorabilia at Del Bergiolo's home, The Times reports.

Del Bergiolo previously ran as a candidate for Italy's Senate as part of the far-right Forza Nuova party and most recently worked as a customs officer.

He was arrested after police allegedly heard him over a wiretap trying to sell the missile.

Italian police said the air-to-air missile was used by the Qatari army and was in perfect working order, although it lacked an explosive charge.

Earlier this month an Italian court found three men guilty of fighting alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine.

The Times reports that Giuseppe De Matteis, the chief of police in Turin, Italy, said officers rarely encountered 'weapons of this quality and violent potential'. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The missile was in a large cache of guns and ammunition

Anti-terrorism police in northern Italy have seized an air-to-air missile and other sophisticated weapons during raids on far-right extremist groups.

Three people were arrested, two of them near Forli airport. Neo-Nazi propaganda was also seized.

The raids were part of an investigation into Italian far-right involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Turin police said.

The missile originated from the Qatari armed forces, the police said.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The missile is reported to be in good condition for combat use

The Turin special police force, called Digos, led the operations, assisted by police in Milan, Varese, Forli and Novara.

Italian media named those arrested as Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, an Italian ex-customs officer and far-right Forza Nuova party activist; Alessandro Monti, 42, a Swiss national; and Fabio Bernardi, 51, also Italian.

Initially, on 15 July, the police said the arrests were part of an investigation, started about a year ago, into far-right groups "who have fought in Ukraine's Donbass region against the separatists".

But the latest police statement did not mention groups fighting the pro-Russian separatists, referring only to an investigation into Italian extremists who had "taken part in the armed conflict in Ukraine's Donbass region". The police did not make it clear which side the Italians were on in this case.

The missile appears to be a French-made Matra Super 530 F.

"During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized," police said in a statement.

Separately, a court in Genoa jailed three men on 3 July who were found guilty of fighting alongside the Russian-backed separatists, who control a large swathe of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Image copyright Italian police Image caption A big cache of guns and ammunition was seized

Image copyright AFP Image caption Turin police displayed this haul of Nazi memorabilia and weapons

In the Genoa case, two men - Italian Antonio Cataldo and Albanian-born Olsi Krutani - got terms of two years and eight months. The third, Moldovan citizen Vladimir Vrbitchii, got one year and four months.

More than 10,000 people have died in fighting since the heavily-armed separatists launched an insurgency in eastern Ukraine in April 2014. Skirmishes with Ukrainian government troops continue, but the frontline has remained generally static for more than a year.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Tom Burridge looks at life on both sides of the frontline

Update 16th July 2019: This story was amended after Italian police dropped a reference to the Italian extremists having fought against the Donbass separatists. </s> Italian police have seized a large arsenal of weapons, including an air-to-air missile and rocket launchers, in raids on neo-Nazi sympathisers in an arms haul that authorities said was almost without precedent.

Elite police forces searched properties across northern Italy following an investigation into Italians who had fought alongside Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, a police statement said on Monday.

Among other weapons uncovered were 26 guns, 20 bayonets, 306 gun parts, including silencers and rifle scopes, and more than 800 bullets of various calibres. The arms were primarily from Austria, Germany and the United States.

"This is a significant seizure, with few precedents in Italy," said Turin police commissioner Giuseppe De Matteis.

"During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized," police said of the 245km Matra missile.

They also found automatic assault rifles that they described as "latest generation" among the cache.

At least three people, including Fabio Del Bergiolo - 50, a former candidate for the neo-fascist New Force, or Forza Nuova party (FN) - have been arrested.

The missile, 3.54 metres long was made in France and Del Bergiolo had been hoping to sell it for 470,000 euros ($529,000), according to Italian media reports.

The missile was "without explosive charge, but re-armable by people specialised in the field," police said.

"For now, nothing leads us to suspect" an active plot to use the weapons, said Eugenio Spina, head of the counterterrorism unit.

The other arrests were a Swiss, 42, and an Italian, 51, accused of holding and marketing the missile, which was found by police at a warehouse near the small Rivanazzano Terme airport in the Pavia province.

The Mantra Super 530 F was a modernisation of the R530 missile that went into service in 1980, and has a range of 25km, with an explosive charge of 30 kilos.

"It is extremely dangerous and risky to turn it into a missile to fire from the ground, unless you have good engineers and equipment," a missile expert who asked not to be named told the AFP.

Similarly, because of its age, it is "extremely unlikely that it can be used, but its use can be changed," he added.

Messages intercepted by the police led them to investigate Del Bergiolo, who had sent photographs of the missile for sale through the Whatsapp messaging service.

Del Bergiolo's home was found to contain a huge stash of arms as well as neo-Nazi propaganda and Hitler memorabilia.

They put him under surveillance before raiding his home and finding a stash of weapons including a Scorpion machine gun, 306 firearm parts and 20 bayonets.

His collection included street signs from the Nazi era, including one reading "Adolf-Hitler Platz".

Police in Pavia also found the cockpit of a military plane.

The Digos law enforcement agency, which deals largely with terrorism and organised crime, led the operation from Turin with assistance from police in Forli, Milan, Novara and Varese.

"We have some idea about what the seized equipment could be used for, but will not speculate," De Matteis told reporters.

The FN released a statement on Monday distancing itself from Del Bergiolo.

Police have carried out several raids in recent weeks on far-right targets around Turin, with a man arrested earlier this month for advocating fascism and possessing illegal weapons.

While Italy's far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, was uncharacteristically quiet following the raid, the opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) urged the country's populist government to do more to tackle right-wing extremists.

"The far right in this country trafficks weapons of war, and even missiles. It's an incredible, very serious event," said Maurizio Martina, the PD's former party head. </s> Italian police have seized a large arsenal of weapons, including an air-to-air missile, in raids on neo-Nazi sympathisers.

Elite police officers searched properties across northern Italy following an investigation into Italians who had fought alongside Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, a police statement said.

Three men were arrested, including a customs officer who has previously stood for parliament for an extreme right party.

During their raids, police discovered a French-made Matra air-to-air missile that appeared to have once belonged to the Qatar armed forces. Subsequent checks showed the weapon was in working condition but lacked an explosive charge.

Police said the suspects had tried to sell the missile in conservations with contacts on the WhatsApp messaging network.

Among other weapons uncovered were 26 guns , 20 bayonets, 306 gun parts, including silencers and rifle scopes, and more than 800 bullets of various calibres. The arms were primarily from Austria, Germany and the United States.

Police also seized Nazi memorabilia from the properties.

"The police investigation came into being because of the activities of some Italian fighters with extremist backgrounds who had taken part in the armed conflict in the Ukrainian region of Donbass," a police statement said.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since 2014 in fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. </s> A neo-Nazi group in northern Italy had sent members to fight alongside Russia-backed separatists in the Donbass region of Ukraine. Apparently, the group brought some things back from their adventures—including a French-made air-to-air missile that somehow found its way from Qatar into the home of a neo-fascist extremist.

The missile and an assortment of other weapons were discovered in the latest of a series of raids by Italian federal police from the General Investigations and Special Operations Division (DIGOS). The raids are part of an ongoing investigation into the Forza Nuova political party and Rebel Firm extremist groups that had fought in the Donbass region.

Other raids had turned up pro-Nazi and pro-fascist propaganda and relics alongside caches of knives and other illegal weapons—including brass knuckles, and a baseball bat inscribed with the words "Dux Mussolini" (Leader Mussolini) and a portrait of Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The groups were also being investigated under Italy's anti-fascist laws, following pro-fascist comments by Forza Nuova's leader in Turin, Luigi Cortese. But in a raid today in the province of Pavia, south of Milan, police discovered a collection of modern automatic weapons—including nine assault rifles, a submachine gun, seven pistols, silencers, bayonets, and other military weapons.

On top of all that, there was also the missile. The Matra Super 530 F, a short-to-medium range air to air missile, was initially sold to Qatar to arm the Qatar Emiri Air Force's Mirage 2000 (and previously, Mirage F1) fighter aircraft. The missile was found in a shipping canister during this latest raid, and it appears to be in working order—though it did not have an explosive warhead installed, according to DIGOS.

Just how a French-built Qatari missile found its way into the collection of a group of neo-fascists in the Italian Piedmont region is not clear. But Forza Nuevo has supported the Syrian government, and one of those arrested in the raid—Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, who ran for the Italian Senate in 2001 as a Forza Nuova candidate—is a former customs anti-fraud inspector. Del Bergiolo was apparently attempting to sell the missile for 470,000 Euros to "a foreign government official," according to police. </s> ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italian police seized an air-to-air missile, machine guns and rocket launchers during raids sparked by an investigation into far-right extremist groups on Monday, a huge haul of weapons that authorities said was almost without precedent.

Police arrested three people, including Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a former candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party, whose home was found to contain a huge stash of arms as well as neo-Nazi propaganda and Hitler memorabilia.

“During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized,” police said of the 245-kilogram (540-pound) Matra missile.

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They also found automatic assault rifles that they described as “latest generation” among the cache.

“This is a significant seizure, with few precedents in Italy,” said Turin police commissioner Giuseppe De Matteis.

The missile, 3.54 meters (more than 11 feet) long was made in France and Del Bergiolo had been hoping to sell it for 470,000 euros ($529,000), according to Italian media reports.

The missile was “without explosive charge, but re-armable by people specialized in the field,” police said.

“For now, nothing leads us to suspect” an active plot to use the weapons, said counter-terrorism official Eugenio Spina.

The other arrests were a Swiss national, 42, and an Italian, 51, accused of holding and marketing the missile, which was found by police at a warehouse near the small Rivanazzano Terme airport in the Pavia province.

The Mantra Super 530 F was a modernization of the R530 missile that went into service in 1980, and has a range of 25 kilometers (15 miles), with an explosive charge of 30 kilos.

“It is extremely dangerous and risky to turn it into a missile to fire from the ground, unless you have good engineers and equipment,” a missile expert who asked not to be named told AFP.

Similarly, because of its age, it is “extremely unlikely that it can be used, but its use can be changed,” he added.

The raids were the result of a police probe into Italian extremists known to have fought against pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.

Messages intercepted by the police led them to investigate Del Bergiolo, who had sent photographs of the missile for sale through the WhatsApp messaging service.

They put him under surveillance before raiding his home and finding a stash of weapons including a Scorpion machine gun, 306 firearm parts and 20 bayonets.

His collection included street signs from the Nazi era, including one reading “Adolf-Hitler Platz.”

Police in Pavia also found the cockpit of a military plane.

The Digos law enforcement agency, which deals largely with terrorism and organised crime, led the operation from Turin with assistance from police in Forli, Milan, Novara and Varese.

“We have some idea about what the seized equipment could be used for, but will not speculate,” De Matteis told reporters.

The Forza Nuova party released a statement Monday distancing itself from Del Bergiolo.

Police have carried out several raids in recent weeks on far-right targets around Turin, with a man arrested earlier this month for advocating fascism and possessing illegal weapons.

While Italy’s far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini was uncharacteristically quiet following the raid, the opposition center-left Democratic Party (PD) urged the country’s populist government to do more to tackle right-wing extremists.

“The far right in this country trafficks weapons of war, and even missiles. It’s an incredible, very serious event,” said Maurizio Martina, the PD’s former party head. </s> Police in northern Italy have detained three men, including one linked to a neo-fascist Italian political party, after uncovering a huge stash of automatic weapons, a missile and material featuring Nazi symbols.

Police in northern Italy have detained three men, including one linked to a neo-fascist Italian political party, after uncovering a huge stash of automatic weapons, a missile and material featuring Nazi symbols.

Officers 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 men arrested had in 2001 run unsuccessfully as a Senate candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party.

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 were apparently seeking to sell. </s> A missile once owned by the Qatari army and seized by police in Italy among other weapons was sold to a third country in 1994, Doha said Tuesday.

"Qatar is working very closely now with the pertinent parties, including Italy, to unveil the facts and it is very concerned as to how a missile sold 25 years ago ended up in the hands of a third non-state party," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Lolwah al-Khater on Twitter.

Police arrested three people, including Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a former candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party, whose home was found to contain a huge stash of arms as well as neo-Nazi propaganda and Hitler memorabilia.

"During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized," police said of the 245-kilogramme (540-pound) Matra missile.

Khater said the seized Matra missile was sold by Doha "in 1994 in a deal that included 40 Matra Super 530 missiles to a friendly nation that wishes not to be named at this point of the investigation".

The missile, 3.54 metres (more than 11 feet) long was made in France and Del Bergiolo had been hoping to sell it for 470,000 euros ($529,000), according to Italian media reports.

The missile was "without explosive charge, but re-armable by people specialised in the field," police said.

The raids were the result of a police probe into Italian extremists known to have fought against pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.

Messages intercepted by the police led them to investigate Del Bergiolo, who had sent photographs of the missile for sale through the Whatsapp messaging service.

They put him under surveillance before raiding his home and finding a stash of weapons including a Scorpion machine gun, 306 firearm parts and 20 bayonets.

The other arrests were a Swiss national, 42, and an Italian, 51, accused of holding and marketing the missile, which was found by police at a warehouse near the small Rivanazzano Terme airport in the Pavia province.

The Mantra Super 530 F was a modernisation of the R530 missile that went into service in 1980, and has a range of 25 kilometres (15 miles), with an explosive charge of 30 kilogrammes.
A police raid on a neo-Nazi group in northern Italy results in the arrest of three people. Sophisticated weaponry, including a Matra Super 530F air-to-air missile, are seized during the operation.