In a lightning raid, Italian commandos scaled the 324-foot bell tower in St. Mark's Square - one of Venice's most famous landmarks - and ended a brief occupation by eight men seeking independence for the city.
Six men were captured inside the tower, which dates back to the ninth century. Two others were arrested in a mock armored car in the square after commandos threatened to blow up the vehicle, police said.The city's chief prosecutor called the men "crazies," and Italy's autonomy-minded Northern League party disavowed any connection to the group.
Police found a submachine gun and ammunition in the tower along with stores of food and drink, suggesting the men were prepared for a long stay, said the commandos' leader, a lieutenant colonel who spoke on traditional condition of anonymity.
"I can't say if they are terrorists, but I can say they were well-prepared and determined," he said. "Our main worry was not to cause damage to the monument."
The men had unfurled a banner proclaiming a "Serenissima Repubblica," referring to this northeastern Italian city's previous name when it was an independent republic and one of Europe's great economic powers. May 12 - Monday - is the 200th anniversary of the fall of the Venetian Republic.
The bell tower, which was begun at the end of the ninth century and finished 300 years later, presides over the square that for centuries has been the heart of this city of canals. It partially collapsed in 1902 and was rebuilt 10 years later.
The raid was over in 10 minutes. The Carabinieri paramilitary police, flown in from a base in Leghorn on Italy's west coast, entered the tower from three sides.