Marco Donat-Cattin
Encyclopedia
Marco Donat-Cattin was an Italian terrorist. He was a founding member of Prima Linea
far-left terrorist organization.
, the son of trade unionist and future Christian Democracy minister Carlo Donat-Cattin
.
After having had a son when he was just 17 and later separating from the mother, he frequented the faculty of jurisprudence. In 1974 he found a job as library carer at a secondary school in Turin, where he met future terrorist Claudio Sandalo.
Starting from 1976, he participated in the establishment of Prima Linea
, becoming a member of its national council. On 29 January 1979, he assassinated in Milan
, together with Sergio Segio, judge Emilio Alessandrini. He was also one of the killers of a barman in Turin in the following July.
Thanks to the relevations of Prima Linea's pentito
Roberto Sandalo, he was identified as one of the organizations' main members by the Italian police. Donat-Cattin was however able to escape to France
. This caused a national scandal after his father, then vice-secretary of Democrazia Cristiana (the relative majority party in Italy at the time), was accused of having helped him to cross the frontier. Francesco Cossiga
, another DC member who at the time was prime minister, was also suspected and underwent an official inquiry of the Italian Parliament Donat-Cattin was extradited from France in 1981.
Thanks to a special law which granted reduction of sentences for dissociates from terrorist organizations and for justice collaborators, Donat-Cattin obtained house arrest
in October 1985 after having been acquitted (due to insufficient proofs) from the assassination of criminologist Alfredo Paolella. He was freed in May 1987.
He was deadly struck by a car on a highway near Verona in 1988.
Prima Linea
Prima Linea was an Italian Marxist-Leninist terrorist group of the 1970s. It was formed in 1976 by members of hard-line factions within the far left, extra-parliamentary organization Lotta Continua, which disbanded that year, together with members of Potere Operaio and of other far left groups...
far-left terrorist organization.
Biography
Donat-Cattin was born in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, the son of trade unionist and future Christian Democracy minister Carlo Donat-Cattin
Carlo Donat-Cattin
Carlo Donat-Cattin was an Italian politician and trade unionist. A member of Christian Democracy, he was several times minister of the Italian Republic.-Biography:...
.
After having had a son when he was just 17 and later separating from the mother, he frequented the faculty of jurisprudence. In 1974 he found a job as library carer at a secondary school in Turin, where he met future terrorist Claudio Sandalo.
Starting from 1976, he participated in the establishment of Prima Linea
Prima Linea
Prima Linea was an Italian Marxist-Leninist terrorist group of the 1970s. It was formed in 1976 by members of hard-line factions within the far left, extra-parliamentary organization Lotta Continua, which disbanded that year, together with members of Potere Operaio and of other far left groups...
, becoming a member of its national council. On 29 January 1979, he assassinated in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, together with Sergio Segio, judge Emilio Alessandrini. He was also one of the killers of a barman in Turin in the following July.
Thanks to the relevations of Prima Linea's 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...
Roberto Sandalo, he was identified as one of the organizations' main members by the Italian police. Donat-Cattin was however able to escape to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. This caused a national scandal after his father, then vice-secretary of Democrazia Cristiana (the relative majority party in Italy at the time), was accused of having helped him to cross the frontier. Francesco Cossiga
Francesco Cossiga
Francesco Cossiga was an Italian politician, the 43rd Prime Minister and the eighth President of the Italian Republic. He was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari....
, another DC member who at the time was prime minister, was also suspected and underwent an official inquiry of the Italian Parliament Donat-Cattin was extradited from France in 1981.
Thanks to a special law which granted reduction of sentences for dissociates from terrorist organizations and for justice collaborators, Donat-Cattin obtained house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
in October 1985 after having been acquitted (due to insufficient proofs) from the assassination of criminologist Alfredo Paolella. He was freed in May 1987.
He was deadly struck by a car on a highway near Verona in 1988.