Roundup: 8 arrested, 2 on run in Italy, Greece in connection with anti-Expo protest

Eight people were arrested in Italy and Greece on Thursday due to alleged connection with the violent anti-Expo protest that took place in Milan on May 1 following the opening of the world exposition, local media reported.

Another two people were reported to be on the run. The suspects, belonging to anarchist groups, were all accused of destruction and looting, for which jail terms between eight and 15 years are envisaged.

Investigators in Milan said the suspects, aged between 18 and 30, formed a single "black bloc" composed of some 300 people which created "a situation of true terror."

"We are collecting elements to understand whether there was an international direction (of the protest)," a police official in Milan, Claudio Ciccimarra, was quoted as saying by la Repubblica national newspaper.

One of the suspects was Greek anarchist Alexandros Kouros, considered as the most active in causing destruction, la Repubblica added.

Investigators said the suspects were wearing "gas masks, ski masks, motorcycle helmets and scarves" and were "armed with sticks, stones, glass bottles, bottles with flammable liquid, rockets and paper bombs."

They carried out more than 100 acts of devastation, which included the burning of 44 cars, 18 stores and 10 banks. Protesters also threw a large quantity of objects against police, some of whom were injured among hundreds of citizens fleeing in panic.

The suspects were reportedly identified after police analyzed over the past six months more than 600 GB (gigabyte) of photographic and video material.

"We extrapolated hundreds of stills that highlighted each smallest detail useful in singling out the authors of the crimes," police sources quoted by Milan-based Corriere della Sera newspaper said.

In particular, the anarchic activists were identified after they entered a supermarket in Milan on May 2 and drew the attention of cashiers, who were threatened by their violent attitude and called the police, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper.

The Expo Milano 2015 successfully came to an end on Oct. 31, attracting more than 21 million visitors, of which around one third foreigners.

The world exhibition was visited by 60 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and British Premier David Cameron. Endit