Police seize 'Red Brigades' cache

bbc online ^ | 21 december 2003 | Frances Kennedy

[csvset]

Police seize 'Red Brigades' cache

By Frances Kennedy BBC correspondent in Rome Italian police have raided an alleged hideout of the Red Brigades, the country's most notorious left-wing militant group.

Police evacuated the entire apartment block in Rome for fear of an explosion.

They found explosives and arms as well as police uniforms and documents claiming responsibility for the killing of a labour consultant last year.

The raid follows the arrests of nine suspected members of the Red Brigades in October.

The haul found in a basement in an eastern suburb of Rome included 100 kilos (220 pounds) of explosives, detonators and guns.

Also seized were fake identity cards, police uniforms and, according to some reports, the original document claiming responsibility for last year's murder of a labour consultant, Marco Biagi.

He was targeted because he was helping to draft laws to make it easier to fire workers.

That crime and the killing of another labour adviser, Massimo D'Antona, were claimed by the New Red Brigades for the Combatant Communist Party.

They are considered the heirs to the original Red Brigades, who carried out numerous kidnappings and murders in the 1970s and early 1980s.

New targets

In October nine suspected Red Brigades members were arrested.

Many of them held regular jobs and were described by their neighbours as normal, law-abiding people.

Police investigations into the new generation of terrorists took a huge step forward after a shoot-out on a train earlier this year.

The palm top computer and cell phones of the two Red Brigades members - one of whom was killed - provided vital information on its links with the old guard and its targets.

These appear to be no longer high-profile industrialists or politicians but lesser known people who shape public policy.

[csvset]

Good job! With any luck they'll be sent away for a long time.

[hoosierham]

They ouht to be sent away for eternity.Execute murderers and prevent repeat offenses.

[KantianBurke]

Dollars to donuts these "new" commie terrorists are the same jerks from the WTO style protests. Guess they got tired of destroying cities and wanted to concentrate on attacking indivduals.

[TexKat]

Great job!!

An Italian police officer puts a bag in a car after Italian police raided an alleged hideout of the radical leftist Red Brigades terrorist group near Rome's Termini station, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2003. Police found explosives and arms weeks after major sweeps picked up nine people linked to the notorious organization. Authorities believe that the hideout had been used by Red Brigades members who have since been arrested, the ANSA news agency said. Police made no arrests Saturday. (AP Photo/Cecilia Fabiani)

[KC_Conspirator]

Dollars to donuts these "new" commie terrorists are the same jerks from the WTO style protests.

Of course they are and there is nothing "new" about them. The sad thing is that these leftists are running half of europe but think their governments are not leftist enough.

[eleni121]

I can only hope they make some raids on Columbia and Berkeley while they are at it.