The most wanted man in Turkey -- the PKK Kurdish separatist leader, Abdullah Ocalan -- has been detained in Rome.

The Italian authorities have not confirmed all the details, but Turkish officials say he arrived on a Russian aircraft carrying a false passport, and was taken under arrest to a Rome clinic.

Mr Ocalan is reported to have been receiving medical treatment in Russia, after pressure from Turkey forced him to leave his base in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Turkey says it will seek his extradition, but a reported statement from Mr Ocalan said he was seeking asylum in Italy.