ROME - Milan's State Police are in the process of carrying out investigations across Italy into a 'national network' of neo-Nazi minors, according to police sources. 

 Delegated by the Prosecutor's Court for Minors and the Court of Law, Milan's officials have already seized a plethora of weaponary and propaganda items from 10 minors so far, including pistols, knives, machetes, sledgehammers, and flags. The youths are being investigated for inciting violence through online chat forums, encouraging discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race or religion - a violation of Article 604 in Italy's Penal Code. 

 The uncovering of this fascist youth network by Milan's police branch has been aided by local forces from cities such as Turin, Rome, and Florence, in which some of these minors reside. But this is not the first time Milan's police have dealt with neofascist youths - in March earlier this year they detained a minor for violent acts carried out on the city's metro line. It was reported that the boy would declare 'the fascists are returned' before commiting his crimes, making visible the swastika tattoo on his chest.

 As investigations continue into this new 'national network', officials may be fearing this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

 dabj