LOC00:18
21:18 GMT
ROME, June 18 (KUNA) -- Italian police said Wednesday that they have
succeeded in dismantling Sri Lankan outlawed Tamil Tiger rebel group working
here.
The ministry said 28 suspected members of the rebel group were arrested in
pre-dawn raids across Italy.
The suspects, all Sri Lankan citizens, were rounded up in raids in several
cities including Naples, Rome, Genoa, Bologna and Palermo, Italian ministry of
interior said in a statement.
The statement added that the suspects were picked up in cities including
Rome, Genoa, Bologna, Naples and Palermo at the end of a two-year
investigation.
Italian police believe the suspects, extorted money from their fellow
nationals in the various cities and sent it home to finance the rebel group.
Police said the operation effectively dismantles the Tamil Tiger network in
Italy.
The Tamil Tiger rebels have fought since 1983 to create an independent
homeland for Sri Lanka's ethnic minority Tamils. (end)
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KUNA 190018 Jun 08NNNN