Italian police carried out a number of raids on Thursday as part of a two-year investigation into far-right extremists suspected of planning a new Nazi party in Italy.

The homes of 19 alleged extremists in various parts of Italy were searched, police said in a new release.

It is alleged they wanted to create a far-right group called the Partito Nazionalsocialista Italiano dei Lavoratori — or Italian National Socialist Workers' Party.

Some allegedly had access to weapons and recruited on social media.

Among the 19 suspects is a leading figure in the Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta mafia, who has criminal convictions and previous links to another far-right group, Forza Nuova. Police said his involvement was “significant.”