Fabrizio Quattrocchi
Encyclopedia
Fabrizio Quattrocchi (9 May 1968 - 14 April 2004) was an Italian
security officer taken hostage
by Islamist
militants in Iraq
, notable for his defiance of captors shortly before being killed. He was born in Catania
, Sicily
but grew up in Genoa
.
. Quattrocchi's kidnappers forced him to dig his own grave and kneel beside it wearing a hood as they prepared to film his death, but he defied them by trying to pull off the hood and shouting "Vi faccio vedere come muore un Italiano!" - "I'll show you how an Italian dies!" He was then shot in the back of the neck.
Cupertino, Agliana and Stefio would later be freed in a bloodless raid by U.S. troops, that Italian prime minister
Silvio Berlusconi
said he had approved beforehand, just before an important election in Italy which was a defeat for his party.
(DSSA), an organization accused of establishing a clandestine network for influencing politics with illegal methods – possibly including kidnapping and murder, claimed that Quattrocchi was operating in Iraq on its behalf. Quattrocchi's DSSA association was subsequently denied and the assertion is thought to be false because he was actually working for a security company based in the United States.
with the Gold Medal for Civil Valor, after a proposal by the Home Secretary Giuseppe Pisanu
.
's late regime and Islamist fundamentalism is mostly averse to participation in the Iraq war.
The relatives of the victims of the 2003 Nasiriyah bombing
(in which 17 Italian servicemen and two Italian civilians were killed by a truck bomb) complained that while Quattrocchi was awarded the Gold Medal, those Italian soldiers were awarded with the "Croce d'Onore" ("Cross of Honor"), as posthumous honor, even though they were in service as regular soldiers, unlike Quattrocchi. For this reason, according to them, the victims of the Nasiriyah attack deserved such an honor more than Quattrocchi.
Giuliana Sgrena
, an Italian left-wing journalist who was also kidnapped in Iraq, complained that no similar honor had been awarded to Nicola Calipari
, an Italian intelligence agent killed by American friendly fire during the rescue of Giuliana Sgrena
in a rather controversial episode. Similarly, Sgrena remarked, neither was Enzo Baldoni
, another Italian journalist kidnapped and killed in Iraq, awarded any honor.
For the Gold Medal for Civil Valor to be awarded, one act of specific Valor is necessary, and that phrase, "vi faccio vedere come muore un italiano!" — "I'll show you how an Italian dies!" was considered to be of high significance, despite the unclear circumstances of Quattrocchi's presence in Iraq
.
As the leftist side was not enthusiastic about the award, the rightist parties Alleanza Nazionale and Forza Italia
(Silvio Berlusconi
's movement at that time), insisted in their PR campaigns that Quattrocchi was a hero
. They accused the Left of being unpatriotic.
Italy
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...
security officer taken hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
by Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
militants in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, notable for his defiance of captors shortly before being killed. He was born in Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
but grew up in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
Hostage taking
He was taken hostage together with Umberto Cupertino, Maurizio Agliana and Salvatore Stefio. They worked in Iraq as security contractorsPrivate military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
. Quattrocchi's kidnappers forced him to dig his own grave and kneel beside it wearing a hood as they prepared to film his death, but he defied them by trying to pull off the hood and shouting "Vi faccio vedere come muore un Italiano!" - "I'll show you how an Italian dies!" He was then shot in the back of the neck.
Cupertino, Agliana and Stefio would later be freed in a bloodless raid by U.S. troops, that Italian prime minister
Prime minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
said he had approved beforehand, just before an important election in Italy which was a defeat for his party.
DSSA link
The Italian Department of Anti-terrorism Strategic StudiesDepartment of Anti-terrorism Strategic Studies
The Department of Anti-terrorism Strategic Studies is an Italian organization reported to have been set up in 2004 and under investigation since July 2005 .- DSSA activities :...
(DSSA), an organization accused of establishing a clandestine network for influencing politics with illegal methods – possibly including kidnapping and murder, claimed that Quattrocchi was operating in Iraq on its behalf. Quattrocchi's DSSA association was subsequently denied and the assertion is thought to be false because he was actually working for a security company based in the United States.
Honours
On 20 March 2006, Quattrocchi was posthumously honored by the Italian president Carlo Azeglio CiampiCarlo Azeglio Ciampi
dr. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi is an Italian politician and banker. He was the 73rd Prime Minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and was the tenth President of the Italian Republic from 1999 to 2006...
with the Gold Medal for Civil Valor, after a proposal by the Home Secretary Giuseppe Pisanu
Giuseppe Pisanu
Giuseppe Pisanu is an Italian politician, longtime member of the Chamber of Deputies for the Christian Democracy and then for Forza Italia...
.
Political implications
Quattrocchi's death has been a highly divisive issue among the Italian public, which, despite widespread loathing of both Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's late regime and Islamist fundamentalism is mostly averse to participation in the Iraq war.
The relatives of the victims of the 2003 Nasiriyah bombing
2003 Nasiriyah bombing
The 2003 Nasiriyah bombing was a suicide attack on the Italian military police headquarters in Nasiriyah, Iraq, south of Baghdad on November 12, 2003.-Prelude:...
(in which 17 Italian servicemen and two Italian civilians were killed by a truck bomb) complained that while Quattrocchi was awarded the Gold Medal, those Italian soldiers were awarded with the "Croce d'Onore" ("Cross of Honor"), as posthumous honor, even though they were in service as regular soldiers, unlike Quattrocchi. For this reason, according to them, the victims of the Nasiriyah attack deserved such an honor more than Quattrocchi.
Giuliana Sgrena
Giuliana Sgrena
Giuliana Sgrena is an Italian journalist who works for the Italian communist newspaper Il Manifesto and the German weekly Die Zeit. While working in Iraq, she was kidnapped by insurgents on February 4, 2005. After her release on March 4, 2005, Sgrena and the two Italian intelligence officers who...
, an Italian left-wing journalist who was also kidnapped in Iraq, complained that no similar honor had been awarded to Nicola Calipari
Nicola Calipari
Nicola Calipari was an Italian SISMI military intelligence officer with the rank of Major General. Calipari was killed by United States soldiers while escorting a recently released Italian hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena, to Baghdad International Airport.- Career :Calipari was born in Reggio...
, an Italian intelligence agent killed by American friendly fire during the rescue of Giuliana Sgrena
Rescue of Giuliana Sgrena
The Rescue of Giuliana Sgrena was a covert operation by the Italian military secret service, SISMI, to rescue Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena from kidnappers in Iraq...
in a rather controversial episode. Similarly, Sgrena remarked, neither was Enzo Baldoni
Enzo Baldoni
Enzo G. Baldoni was an Italian journalist working freelance and for the Italian news magazine . He was kidnapped near Najaf, Iraq, on August 21, 2004, by the "Islamic Army in Iraq", a Muslim fundamentalist terrorist organization, allegedly linked with Al-Qaeda. His driver-interpreter was killed...
, another Italian journalist kidnapped and killed in Iraq, awarded any honor.
For the Gold Medal for Civil Valor to be awarded, one act of specific Valor is necessary, and that phrase, "vi faccio vedere come muore un italiano!" — "I'll show you how an Italian dies!" was considered to be of high significance, despite the unclear circumstances of Quattrocchi's presence in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
As the leftist side was not enthusiastic about the award, the rightist parties Alleanza Nazionale and Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
(Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
's movement at that time), insisted in their PR campaigns that Quattrocchi was a hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
. They accused the Left of being unpatriotic.