Italian police have arrested an anarchist wanted for suspected involvement in "terrorist activities" near the border with France, police told AFP Thursday.

Leonardo Landi was arrested in Ventimiglia thanks to a close collaboration with the French police, said Paolo Fanzone, head of the investigation at Imperia police headquarters in the north.

The Florentine anarchist militant had been on the run since May 2008. At the time of his arrest, Landi was with a woman from La Spezia in the north, who police suspect is an accomplice.

Police said Landi, who was carrying dubious cards and documents, may have been planning an attack in the northwest coastal region of Liguria.

Landi was wanted for - criminal conspiracy linked to terrorist activities - Fanzone said.

- Landi has been implicated in many terrorist attacks, especially in the centre of Italy, and he represents a danger, given his ability to rally other people around his cause - the police added, saying the militant is currently being held in San Remo prison.

A warrant for Landi's arrest was issued in May 2008 by authorities in Florence who accused him of participating in an armed attack on a post office in June 2007.