Alvaro Lojacono
Encyclopedia
Alvaro Lojacono is an Italian terrorist, currently a Swiss citizen.
, the son of a member of the Italian Communist Party
.
He participated in several far-left extra-parliamentary organizations in Rome, including Potere Operaio
, and then became a member of the Red Brigades
.
He was accused of the murder of Greek student Miki Mantakas (28 February 1975) in front of a seat of the Italian Social Movement
(a post-Fascist party) and sentenced in absentia to 16 years of detention.
After his admission to the Red Brigades, he was involved in the murder of judges Riccardo Palma (14 February 1978) and Girolamo Tartaglione, and he also allegedly participated in the assassination of Aldo Moro's escort
. Thanks to the Swiss citizenship of his mother, he emigrated to Switzerland Here he was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment, being freed after 11 years. He was also acquitted from any prosecution for the Moro case, because the witnesses refused to speak in front of the Swiss magistrates.
In the fourth Italian trial on the Moro affair, he was sentenced to life imprisonment (sentence confirmed on 14 May 1997).
In June 2000 he was arrested in Bastia
, Corsica
. He however avoided the extradition to Italy because the French law does not recognize default sentences; further, Swiss law does not allow extradition for its citizens.
Biography
Lojacono was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, the son of a member of the Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
.
He participated in several far-left extra-parliamentary organizations in Rome, including Potere Operaio
Potere Operaio
Potere Operaio was a radical left-wing Italian political group, active between 1968 and 1973. Among the group's leaders were Antonio Negri, Franco Piperno, Oreste Scalzone and Valerio Morucci, who led its clandestine...
, and then became a member of the Red Brigades
Red Brigades
The Red Brigades was a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organisation, based in Italy, which was responsible for numerous violent incidents, assassinations, and robberies during the so-called "Years of Lead"...
.
He was accused of the murder of Greek student Miki Mantakas (28 February 1975) in front of a seat of the Italian Social Movement
Italian Social Movement
The Italian Social Movement , and later the Italian Social Movement–National Right , was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy. Formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the party became the fourth largest party in Italy by the early 1960s...
(a post-Fascist party) and sentenced in absentia to 16 years of detention.
After his admission to the Red Brigades, he was involved in the murder of judges Riccardo Palma (14 February 1978) and Girolamo Tartaglione, and he also allegedly participated in the assassination of Aldo Moro's escort
Kidnapping of Aldo Moro
The kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro was a seminal event in Italian political history.On the morning of 16 March 1978, the day in which the new cabinet led by Giulio Andreotti would undergo the confidence vote at the Italian Parliament, the car of Aldo Moro, former prime minister and then...
. Thanks to the Swiss citizenship of his mother, he emigrated to Switzerland Here he was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment, being freed after 11 years. He was also acquitted from any prosecution for the Moro case, because the witnesses refused to speak in front of the Swiss magistrates.
In the fourth Italian trial on the Moro affair, he was sentenced to life imprisonment (sentence confirmed on 14 May 1997).
In June 2000 he was arrested in Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. He however avoided the extradition to Italy because the French law does not recognize default sentences; further, Swiss law does not allow extradition for its citizens.