Highlights
– Two-year investigation uncovers plot to target the G8 summit
– Police arrest six leftist extremists, 15 additional suspects are being monitored
– Reemergence of violent Marxist faction unlikely to reach membership of original Italian terror group of the 1970s and 1980s
Italian police raided several locations in Rome, Milan, Genoa, and the Sardinian city of Sassari investigating a suspected terrorist cell linked to the defunct Marxist-Leninist terror group, the Red Brigade. Investigators claim a small network of leftist extremists plotted attacks including a bomb attack on the upcoming Group of Eight (G8) summit on July 8-10. Wiretapping evidence recorded the suspects discussing ways to breach security at the original location for the G8, an ex-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base located on the Mediterranean island of La Magdalena. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi recently moved the summit to the earthquake ravaged town of L’Aquila, located in the central region of Abruzzo.
Strengthening security against possible threats of terrorism and violent civil unrest accompany a robust set of security precautions for G8 events. However, we remain concerned of the possible reemergence of factional elements of the BR as the group’s small numbers enable it to operate more clandestinely. Given the venue, we believe Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and foreign politicians represented the group’s intended targets. The BR targeted a number of Italian politicians and prominent business leaders in a series of attacks in the 1970s and 1980s, to include the kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978.
As with previous G8 Summits, anti-terrorism and anti-riot measures will be enhanced surrounding the event. We anticipate leftist demonstrations will take place in various Italian cities for the summit, as previous G8 events in Italy have sparked violent civil unrest.
Attempting to Rebuild
Luigi Fallico, the cell’s purported leader and a former member of BR, was reportedly captured on a wiretap organizing the group along a similar violent political platform witnessed with the BR. According to one wiretap, Fallico states, “A BR can’t retire, a BR dies a BR.” In another captured conversation, Fallico states, “A revolutionary cannot recognize the (Italian) State and must continue the armed struggle until he dies” (Source).
Police allege Fallico also maintained direct links to another jailed leader of the successor group of the BR, the New Red Brigades (neo-BR). The neo-BR, a smaller group of leftist extremists, was responsible for killing two government aides in 1999 and 2003.
Additionally, at least six suspects face charges of criminal association, terrorism and arms possession. Police are investigating an additional 15 suspects connected to the plot. Police reportedly uncovered a weapons cache outside Genoa containing automatic rifles, handguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and several grenades and detonators.
Out of Touch
BR activities have slowed following a series of arrests involving the group’s leadership in 1989 and members of an offshoot in 2003, namely the neo-BR. Nevertheless, remaining factions of BR have surfaced in recent years. In June 2008, French police attributed a series of failed attacks and bomb threats around the French towns of Chambery and Aix-les-Bains to a faction of the BR. In 2007 Italian police launched a multiple city operation in Milan, Turin, Padua and Trieste, arresting 15 suspected leftist militants with ties to the neo-BR on suspicion of preparing guerilla attacks against a variety of targets to include the home of Berlusconi.
Recent reports also show a small number of former BR members are being released from jail after serving moderate prison sentences stemming from the 1980s. We believe there is a moderate likelihood that previously incarcerated members will look to engage in BR activities in the long-term.
Despite recent indications that BR elements remain dormant in Italian society, we believe the group’s violent past and advocacy for killing leaves the group out of touch with the Italian public. In 2005, five neo-BR members were sentenced to life for the killing of a prominent economist and advisor to the Berlusconi government. The sentencing represented a victory for the Italian government. More importantly, within hours of the killing in Bologna, a city with a strong communist tradition, Italy’s largest trade unions announced a demonstration in honor of the fallen economist and against the latest BR violence.
Expect the G8 summit to continue as planned in L’Aquila, as Italian authorities will implement strict security measures and limited access, given the latest terror threat.
