Italy cracks down on alleged violent secessionists

MILAN (AP) — Italian special operations forces arrested 24 suspected secessionists Wednesday who were allegedly planning a violent independence campaign for the wealthy northeastern Veneto region.

Police said the group had built an armored vehicle that they intended to deploy in St. Mark’s Square in Venice — reminiscent of a 7 ½-hour takeover of the piazza’s famed bell tower by secessionists in 1997. TV footage showed the vehicle was a bulldozer with firearms that had yet to be mounted.