The Kidnapping and Murder of Aldo Moro

Aldo Moro was a former Italian prime minister and, in 1978, president of Democrazia Cristiana. His kidnapping and murder by the far-left Red Brigades became a central event of Italy's Years of Lead. The factual core is well established by parliamentary, government and court records: the Via Fani attack, five escort deaths, 55 days of captivity, Moro's murder and the convictions of numerous Red Brigades members.

The Via Fani attack

Shortly after 9 a.m. on March 16, 1978, a Red Brigades commando intercepted Moro's convoy in Via Fani in Rome. The attackers killed the five men assigned to protect him: Carabinieri Oreste Leonardi and Domenico Ricci, and public-security officers Giulio Rivera, Francesco Zizzi and Raffaele Iozzino.

Moro was taken away from the scene. The Red Brigades claimed responsibility soon afterward. The date was politically significant because Parliament was preparing for a confidence vote on a new government led by Giulio Andreotti.

Fifty-five days in captivity

The Red Brigades held Moro for 55 days. During captivity, the organization issued communiqués and sought the release of imprisoned militants. Moro also wrote letters to political leaders, relatives and others. The government and the principal political parties faced intense debate over whether negotiations could or should take place.

This case file does not treat later political arguments over the state's response as evidence that any person or institution outside the Red Brigades ordered the kidnapping or murder. Parliamentary inquiries have continued to examine unanswered questions, but unresolved theories are not substituted for criminal findings.

May 9, 1978

On May 9, Moro was killed. His body was found in the trunk of a red Renault 4 in Via Caetani in central Rome. The location became one of the enduring images of the case and is documented in the historical archive of the Italian Presidency.

The six deaths connected directly to the operation are Moro and the five members of his escort. They are treated together here because the Via Fani killings and Moro's murder formed the same kidnapping operation and were prosecuted within the broader Moro proceedings.

The Moro trials

Large criminal proceedings followed. On January 24, 1983, a Rome court trying 63 Red Brigades defendants in the combined Moro proceedings and related crimes imposed 32 life sentences and additional prison terms. Mario Moretti, Prospero Gallinari and Valerio Morucci were among defendants who received life sentences at that stage.

The first-instance result was not the end of the legal history. In 1985, an appellate court reduced a number of sentences, including cancelling ten life sentences after giving greater weight to dissociation and cooperation. The case therefore cannot accurately be summarized by presenting every 1983 sentence as the final penalty for every defendant.

Alessio Casimirri and the unresolved extradition issue

One convicted former Red Brigades member remains relevant to the case's present-day legal status. Alessio Casimirri was convicted in Italy for his role in the Moro operation and other terrorist crimes but fled abroad and has lived for decades in Nicaragua.

Italy has repeatedly sought his extradition. In July 2026, Reuters reported that Nicaragua broke diplomatic relations with Italy amid renewed demands for Casimirri's extradition. Casimirri has acknowledged membership in the Red Brigades but has denied participating in the actual Moro attack. His denial is noted because he was convicted in absentia and has not served the Italian sentence; it does not erase the Italian judgment.

Timeline

1. March 16, 1978
   Via Fani attack

   A Red Brigades commando kills Moro's five escort officers and abducts him in Rome.

2. March–May 1978
   Captivity

   Moro is held for 55 days while the Red Brigades issue communiqués and demand concessions.

3. May 9, 1978
   Moro is murdered

   His body is found in a red Renault 4 in Via Caetani.

4. January 24, 1983
   Major first-instance judgment

   The combined Moro proceedings produce 32 life sentences among the 63 defendants, plus other prison terms and acquittals.

5. March 14, 1985
   Appeal changes penalties

   The appellate court reduces several sentences and cancels ten of the life sentences imposed at first instance.

6. 1980s–1990s
   Further Moro proceedings

   Additional investigations and trials address other participants and related conduct, including proceedings involving Alessio Casimirri.

7. July 2026
   Casimirri extradition dispute continues

   Italy again demands extradition from Nicaragua; the dispute contributes to a break in diplomatic relations.

What remains disputed

Italian parliamentary inquiries and decades of scholarship have examined unanswered issues including operational details, intelligence failures, the exact dynamics of the Red Brigades' organization and claims of outside involvement. Those debates are historically important, but they do not displace the judicially established responsibility of Red Brigades members for the kidnapping and killings.

Current status

Solved / Adjudicated. The Red Brigades' responsibility for the kidnapping, the Via Fani killings and Moro's murder was established through criminal proceedings that produced numerous convictions. Some individual procedural and extradition matters have continued long afterward, most notably the unresolved effort to bring Alessio Casimirri back to Italy.