ROME-- On-going investigations have led to the arrests of four people, amoung whom a married couple for arms dealing and kidnapping, police sources say Tuesday.

 The Venetian tax and finance authority, under the orders of the Neapolitan anti-mafia department, has carried out the arrest of four people accused of international arms trade and “dual use” items such as helicopters. These persons were arrested in the provinces of Rome, Naples, Salerno and l’Aquila respectively. Among them, three Italians and one Libyan, are accused of smuggling helicopters, assault rifles and air to ground missiles to countries such as Iran and Libya which were subject to embargos between 2011 and 2015 without government permission.

 An Italian husband and wife, who had converted to Islam and been radicalised, from San Girgio in Cremano (Napoli) were among those subject to the investigation and arrested. One of the couple’s children was also investigated. The investigation, coordinated by public ministers Catello Maresca and Luigi Giordano, scrutinised the movement of arms to Isis groups in Iran and Lybia. During the investigation, a photo of the couple and ex-Iranian Prime Minister Ahmadinejad was discovered. In addition to these four arrests ten additional raids were carried out relating to others accused of international arms trafficking.

 The first stage of the ongoing operation started in June 2011, with the input of the Central Service for the Investigation of Organised Crime following on from previous criminal findings and proceedings by the Naples’ Public Prosecutor. The Public Prosecutor had previously concluded a member of the camorra clan in and around Casale, Napoli, had been contacted by a member of the group ‘mala del Brenta’ with specific requests relating to arms trafficking.

 The member of ‘mala del Brenta’ had sought arms and weapons experts to be sent to the Seychelles to train a battalion of Somalis who were then to undertake expressly “mercenary” activities. The investigation at the time resulted in numerous criminal cases and led to the discovery that the requests had been made by a Somalian man with Italian citizenship and was the relative of the deposed Somalian dictator of Puntland.

 Following wiretapping, evidence was found of conversation between the couple from San Giorgia and the kidnappers of Italians from Lybia in 2015. These messages were found on WhatsApp just after the couple had been captured and made reference to people they had known and alluding to them as the authors of the kidnapping. The abduction ended in March 2016 with the death of two of the captives, Fausto Piano and Salvatore Failla, whilst the other two managed to escape.

 The messages on the evening of the 22 July 2015 from Mario Di Leva to his wife Annamaria Fontana read: “Hey, they kidnapped four Italians in Libya.” Annamaria replied: “Already done. Old News. I’ve already been in touch.” Annamaria then added: “They have them where we went, I’m already making (sic), I’m already working very quietly and cautiously.”

 Prosecutors do not exclude “the possibility of their involvement of in the complicated bargaining process for hostages that usually involves the payment of ransoms or the provisions of other items of interest to the militia.” Among the photos seized by investigators there are pictures that show the couple around Soviet military helicopters or important political figures in the Middle East. There is a great deal of photos of Annamaria Fontana at a reception attended by Iranian Prime Minister at the time Ahmadinejad.