5 anarchists held in Italy over Jan 1 blast

Italian police said they had arrested today five anarchists suspected of planting a bomb outside a far-right bookshop in Florence on January 1 that badly injured an explosives expert.

The five have been arrested for "attempted manslaughter," they said in a statement.

The blast, triggered by a timer, occurred as a bomb disposal officer approached the device. He lost a hand and an eye.

Three other anarchists were also arrested for suspected firebomb attacks on a police barracks in the Florence suburbs, the statement added.

Around 200 police were involved in the roundup, it said.