Italy detains 3 in seizure of weapons, missile, Nazi plaques

ROME — Police in northern Italy detain 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 say the discoveries stem from a previous investigation into Italians who took part in the Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

In a statement, Turin police say 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 find nine assault weapons, nearly 30 hunting rifles, pistols and bayonets as well as ammunition and antique Nazi plaques featuring swastikas.

Two other men are detained after police find a French-made missile at an airport hangar that they apparently were seeking to sell.

— AP