Seven arrested in Iranian weapon smuggling plot

Nick Squires in Rome Published: 2:55PM GMT 03 March 2010

Investigators pronounced the dual Iranians and five Italians were concerned in a tract to trade a large apportion of tracer bullets, explosives and mixture for agitator bombs to Iran around the UK, Romania and Dubai.

In an operation code-named Sniper, Italian troops collaborated closely with their counterparts in Britain, Switzerland and Romania.

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Arrest warrants were additionally released for dual some-more Iranians but they were believed to be in Iran and over the reach of Italian authorities.

The Iranians were "believed to be members of the Iranian tip services," troops in Milan said.

The review began when some-more than 200 telescopic sights were seized in Romania in June, allegedly on their approach to Iran.

Italian troops pronounced an additional 100 visual sights had been seized at Heathrow airport. The suspects were additionally allegedly perplexing to filch "dual-use" equipment, that can be simply converted from municipal to troops use.

The suspects were arrested on guess of "criminal organisation for the role of exporting arms and weapons systems to Iran in defilement of the general keep out that is in effect," troops said.

Armando Spataro, an anti-terrorist prosecutor, said: "It is an review of substantial significance since it concerns the complete general community."

He pronounced the success of the operation had complacent mostly on endless wiretapping, a use that faces difficult new restrictions underneath budding apportion Silvio Berlusconi, who claims it has been used to foul examine in to the in isolation lives of him and his allies.

One of the arrested Iranians was Hamid Nejad Masoumi, a promote publisher who worked out of the unfamiliar press organisation in Rome.

Of the five Italians arrested, one was a counsel from Turin who owns an arms import-export company, and an additional lived in Bern, Switzerland.