Anti-terror officers in Italy have seized an air-to-air missile and a huge stash of automatic weapons during a series of raids on far-right groups.

Three men were arrested, including one linked to a neo-fascist Italian political party.

Turin police said one of the men arrested, Fabio del Bergiolo, had run unsuccessfully as a Senate candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party in 2001.

Image: The haul also included antique Nazi plaques featuring swastikas

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.

Police said the discoveries stemmed from a previous investigation into Italians who took part in the Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine.


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

Image: The weapons were discovered at the home of Fabio del Bergiolo

They have been named as 42-year-old Swiss national, Alessandro Monti, and a 51-year-old Italian, Fabio Bernardi.

The operation was led by Turin police but included officers from Milan and other northern Italian cities.