Aldo Semerari
Encyclopedia
Aldo Semerari was an Italian criminologist, psychiatrist
and political diplomat
of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
, Semerari also had close ties to the Banda della Magliana
, whose meetings were usually organized by him in his villa at Rieti
in the summer of 1978, through his group Costruiamo l'azione. He was also a member of Propaganda Due
(P2) masonic lodge and maintained links with the SISMI
, the Italian military intelligence agency, which allowed him to transfer information to the Banda della Magliana.
In exchange for financial support for his organization, Aldo Semerari would usually offer psychiatric evaluations to members of various criminal organizations tailored to the frequent arrests, which members usually underwent. In addition to the Banda sella Magliana, he had made the same deal with Raffaele Cutolo
's Nuova Camorra Organizzata
(NCO), as well as with the rival organization of the Cutolo, the Nuova Famiglia
(NF) headed by Carmine Alfieri
. This pleased neither Umberto Ammaturo's family nor the NCO.
on 1 April 1981. His body was found decapitated in his car. A criminal named Lugaresi Capemuorto claimed that Semerari was assassinated by the SISMI, in order to prevent him from revealing what he knew about the 1980 Bologna massacre
. He declared that 25 March 1982 had received a telephone call in which Semerari begged for help because he was in Naples and in danger of dying. Then he added: "On 25 March 1982 I called immediately to General Santovito calling the telephone service domestic and warning him of the situation. Santovito, who certainly knew Semerari, was totelly unsurprised and said: 'Keep the news to yourself', in the sense that I should not tell others." The magistrate, Rosario Priore believed the allegations of Capomuorto and developed a complex reconstruction of the murder and the facts that allegedly linked, but in the end, the theory was proved to be completely unfounded.
In 1982, Camorra boss Umberto Ammaturo
and his lover, Pupetta Maresca
were arrested and charged with Aldo Semerari's murder. Semerari had helped Ammaturo in previous years to escape prison by feigning insanity. He was initially acquitted, but confessed the murder when he decided to become a pentito
on June 1993. However, Pupetta Maresca continues to deny any involvement in the murder.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and political diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Background
A subscriber to the extreme far right politics in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Semerari also had close ties to the Banda della Magliana
Banda della Magliana
The Banda della Magliana was an Italian criminal organization based in Rome, particularly active throughout the late 1970s until the early 1990s. Given by the media, the name refers to the original neighborhood, the Magliana, of most of its members....
, whose meetings were usually organized by him in his villa at Rieti
Rieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
in the summer of 1978, through his group Costruiamo l'azione. He was also a member of Propaganda Due
Propaganda Due
Propaganda Due , or P2, was a Masonic lodge operating under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of Italy from 1945 to 1976 , and a pseudo-Masonic or "black" or "covert" lodge operating illegally from 1976 to...
(P2) masonic lodge and maintained links with the SISMI
SISMI
Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Militare was the military intelligence agency of Italy from 1977-2007....
, the Italian military intelligence agency, which allowed him to transfer information to the Banda della Magliana.
In exchange for financial support for his organization, Aldo Semerari would usually offer psychiatric evaluations to members of various criminal organizations tailored to the frequent arrests, which members usually underwent. In addition to the Banda sella Magliana, he had made the same deal with Raffaele Cutolo
Raffaele Cutolo
Raffaele Cutolo is an Italian crime boss and the charismatic leader of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata , an organisation he built to renew the Camorra. Cutolo has a variety of nicknames including "'o Vangelo" , "'o Principe" , "'o Professore" and "'o Monaco"...
's Nuova Camorra Organizzata
Nuova Camorra Organizzata
The Nuova Camorra Organizzata was an Italian Camorra criminal organization founded in the late 1970s by a Neapolitan Camorrista, Raffaele Cutolo, in the region of Campania. It was also known by the initials NCO...
(NCO), as well as with the rival organization of the Cutolo, the Nuova Famiglia
Nuova Famiglia
The Nuova Famiglia was an Italian Camorra criminal organization created in the 1980s to face Raffaele Cutolo's Nuova Camorra Organizzata....
(NF) headed by Carmine Alfieri
Carmine Alfieri
Carmine Alfieri is an Italian Camorra boss, who rose from Piazzolla di Nola to become one of the most powerful members of Neapolitan Camorra in the 1980s. As boss of the Alfieri clan, he was the undisputed head of the Camorra from 1984 until his arrest in 1992...
. This pleased neither Umberto Ammaturo's family nor the NCO.
Murder
Aldo Semerari was eventually assassinated by the CamorraCamorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
on 1 April 1981. His body was found decapitated in his car. A criminal named Lugaresi Capemuorto claimed that Semerari was assassinated by the SISMI, in order to prevent him from revealing what he knew about the 1980 Bologna massacre
Bologna massacre
The Bologna massacre was a terrorist bombing of the Central Station at Bologna, Italy, on the morning of Saturday, 2 August 1980, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 200. The attack has been materially attributed to the neo-fascist terrorist organization Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari...
. He declared that 25 March 1982 had received a telephone call in which Semerari begged for help because he was in Naples and in danger of dying. Then he added: "On 25 March 1982 I called immediately to General Santovito calling the telephone service domestic and warning him of the situation. Santovito, who certainly knew Semerari, was totelly unsurprised and said: 'Keep the news to yourself', in the sense that I should not tell others." The magistrate, Rosario Priore believed the allegations of Capomuorto and developed a complex reconstruction of the murder and the facts that allegedly linked, but in the end, the theory was proved to be completely unfounded.
In 1982, Camorra boss Umberto Ammaturo
Umberto Ammaturo
Umberto Ammaturo is an Italian criminal and a member of the Neapolitan Camorra. He specialized in cocaine trafficking from South America. He was included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture in May 1993...
and his lover, Pupetta Maresca
Pupetta Maresca
Assunta Maresca better known as known as Pupetta was a former beauty queen who became a well-known figure in the Camorra...
were arrested and charged with Aldo Semerari's murder. Semerari had helped Ammaturo in previous years to escape prison by feigning insanity. He was initially acquitted, but confessed the murder when he decided to become a pentito
Pentito
Pentito designates people in Italy who, formerly part of criminal or terrorist organizations, following their arrests decide to "repent" and collaborate with the judicial system to help investigations...
on June 1993. However, Pupetta Maresca continues to deny any involvement in the murder.