Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa
Encyclopedia
Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa (Saluzzo
, September 27, 1920 – Palermo
, September 3, 1982) was a general of the Italian
carabinieri
notable for campaigning against terrorism
during the 1970s in Italy
, and later assassinated by the Mafia
in Palermo
.
, Cuneo
, he became commandant of the (military) region of Piemonte-Valle d'Aosta in 1974 and created an anti-terrorism
structure in Turin
, which succeeded in capturing in September 1974 Red Brigades
members Renato Curcio
and Alberto Franceschini
, with the help of Silvano Girotto, also known as "frate mitra" ("Machine pistole friar"), who infiltrated the organisation.
On May 1, 1982, Dalla Chiesa was appointed as prefect
for Palermo
to stop the violence of the Second Mafia War
. He was murdered in Palermo
on September 3, 1982, on the orders of Mafia boss Salvatore Riina
. He and his second wife were being driven through the city at night in a Lancia A112
, when a number of gunmen on motorbikes and a car forced the car off the road where it crashed into a stationary vehicle. The gunmen opened fire and Dalla Chiesa was killed along with his wife and their driver. The lead killer was Giuseppe Greco
, who was later convicted in absentia
of the crime at the Maxi Trial
. A number of other gunmen were involved, including twenty-one-year-old Giuseppe Lucchese
, who was also convicted of the crime at the Maxi Trial. Riina and various other Mafia bosses, such as Benedetto Santapaola
were subsequently convicted for ordering the killing.
Dalla Chiesa was also investigating the death of Mauro de Mauro
, a journalist who had himself been investigating the murder of Enrico Mattei
, head of Agip
, the Italian oil company.
In the foreword of the Argentine National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons report on the Argentine Dirty War
, Dalla Chiesa was cited as having rejected the use of torture
in Italy in response to the kidnapping of Aldo Moro
, the former prime minister killed by the Red Brigades
in 1978. In response to a suggestion that torture be used in the investigation, Dalla Chiesa stated "Italy can survive the loss of Aldo Moro. It would not survive the introduction of torture."
Saluzzo
Saluzzo is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont region, Italy.The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc...
, September 27, 1920 – Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, September 3, 1982) was a general of the Italian
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...
carabinieri
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
notable for campaigning against terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
during the 1970s in Italy
History of Italy (1970s-1980s)
The Years of Lead was a period of socio-political turmoil in Italy that lasted from the late 1960s into the early 1980s. This period was marked by a wave of terrorism, initially called "Opposing Extremisms" and later renamed as the "Years of Lead"...
, and later assassinated by the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
in Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
.
Biography
Born in SaluzzoSaluzzo
Saluzzo is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont region, Italy.The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc...
, Cuneo
Province of Cuneo
ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....
, he became commandant of the (military) region of Piemonte-Valle d'Aosta in 1974 and created an anti-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
structure in Turin
Turin
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...
, which succeeded in capturing in September 1974 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"...
members Renato Curcio
Renato Curcio
Renato Curcio is the former leader of the Italian left-wing militant organization, the Red Brigades .-Background:...
and Alberto Franceschini
Alberto Franceschini
Alberto Franceschini was a founder and leading member of the Italian left-wing militant organization, the Red Brigades , along with Renato Curcio, Margherita Cagol and Mario Moretti....
, with the help of Silvano Girotto, also known as "frate mitra" ("Machine pistole friar"), who infiltrated the organisation.
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
for Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
to stop the violence of the Second Mafia War
Second Mafia War
The Second Mafia War was a conflict within the Sicilian Mafia, mostly taking place in the early 1980s. As with any criminal organization, the history of the Sicilian Mafia is replete with conflicts and power struggles, and the violence that results from them, but these are generally localised and...
. He was murdered in Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
on September 3, 1982, on the orders of Mafia boss Salvatore Riina
Salvatore Riina
Salvatore "Totò" Riina is a member of the Sicilian Mafia who became the most powerful member of the criminal organization in the early 1980s. Fellow mobsters nicknamed him The Beast due to his violent nature, or sometimes The Short One due to his diminutive stature...
. He and his second wife were being driven through the city at night in a Lancia A112
Autobianchi A112
The Autobianchi A112 is a supermini produced by the Italian automaker Autobianchi. It was developed using the mechanicals which subsequently underpinned the Fiat 127. It was introduced in 1969, as a replacement for the Bianchina and Primula, and was built until 1986, when it made way for the more...
, when a number of gunmen on motorbikes and a car forced the car off the road where it crashed into a stationary vehicle. The gunmen opened fire and Dalla Chiesa was killed along with his wife and their driver. The lead killer was Giuseppe Greco
Giuseppe Greco
Giuseppe "Pino" Greco was a hitman and high-ranking member of the Sicilian Mafia. A number of sources refer to him exclusively as Pino Greco although Giuseppe was his Christian name; "Pino" is a frequent abbreviation of the name Giuseppe.One of the most prolific killers in criminal history, he...
, who was later convicted in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
of the crime at the Maxi Trial
Maxi Trial
The Maxi Trial was a criminal trial that took place in Sicily during the mid-1980s that saw hundreds of defendants on trial convicted for a multitude of crimes relating to Mafia activities, based primarily on testimony given in as evidence from a former boss turned informant...
. A number of other gunmen were involved, including twenty-one-year-old Giuseppe Lucchese
Giuseppe Lucchese
Giuseppe Lucchese is a member of the Sicilian Mafia from the Brancaccio neighbourhood in Palermo. He was one of the favourite hitmen of the Corleonesi, headed by Totò Riina, during the Second Mafia War in 1981-83....
, who was also convicted of the crime at the Maxi Trial. Riina and various other Mafia bosses, such as Benedetto Santapaola
Benedetto Santapaola
Benedetto Santapaola , better known as Nitto is a prominent mafioso from Catania, the main city and industrial centre on Sicily's east coast. His nickname is il cacciatore , because of his passion for shooting game...
were subsequently convicted for ordering the killing.
Dalla Chiesa was also investigating the death of Mauro de Mauro
Mauro De Mauro
Mauro De Mauro was an Italian journalist. He disappeared in September 1970 and his body has not yet been found. His disappearance and probable death remains one of the unsolved mysteries in Italian history.Several explanations for his disappearance are current...
, a journalist who had himself been investigating the murder of Enrico Mattei
Enrico Mattei
Enrico Mattei was an Italian public administrator. After World War II he was given the task of dismantling the Italian Petroleum Agency Agip, a state enterprise established by the Fascist regime. Instead Mattei enlarged and reorganized it into the National Fuel Trust Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi...
, head of Agip
Agip
Agip is an Italian automotive gasoline and diesel retailer established in 1926. It is a subsidiary of the multinational petroleum company Eni.In 2003, Eni S.p.A...
, the Italian oil company.
In the foreword of the Argentine National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons report on the Argentine Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
, Dalla Chiesa was cited as having rejected the use of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
in Italy in response to the kidnapping of Aldo Moro
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...
, the former prime minister killed by 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"...
in 1978. In response to a suggestion that torture be used in the investigation, Dalla Chiesa stated "Italy can survive the loss of Aldo Moro. It would not survive the introduction of torture."