Israeli Mossad Involved in 1978 Kidnapping and Killing of Former Italian PM Aldo Moro: Report
Rome (QNN)- A new report reveals that the Israeli Mossad was involved in the abduction and assassination of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978, highlighting Israel’s deep influence on Italy’s political landscape, including Moro’s ties with Palestinian resistance groups.
Veteran Italian investigate journalists Erik Salerno, who spent over three decades covering Italy’s top politicians, detailed in his 2010 book “Mossad’s Base in Italy” how Italy was transformed into a strategic “aircraft carrier” jointly operated by the United States and Israel. He also explored Israel’s covert involvement in the abduction and murder of Aldo Moro, a towering figure in Italian politics and a leading member of the Christian Democratic Party.
Moro, kidnapped by the radical left-wing Red Brigades in a daring daylight operation on March 16, 1978, was executed after 55 days in captivity. The event shocked the nation and marked a grim chapter during Italy’s “Years of Lead,” a turbulent era rife with political conspiracies and violence.
Salerno says that Moro’s plans to forge a historic compromise with the Italian Communist Party threatened powerful Western interests intent on keeping Italy firmly in the U.S.-led Western bloc. “What they feared in Washington was that Italy might drift from the NATO alliance,” he told The Grayzone.
Salerno revealed Moro’s secret ties with Palestinian resistance groups, facilitated through Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, allowing Palestinian resistance groups safe passage and “arms smuggling” through Italy in exchange for a relative absence of “terrorist attacks” on Italian soil, an agreement known as the “Moro Ludo.”
Salerno’s research also highlights a suspicious 1973 plane crash involving an Italian aircraft, Argo 16, which was transporting released Palestinian fighters.
Investigations later suggested, based on “objective evidence,” that Israel was behind the crash, which killed the entire crew. The incident came after Moro’s decision to free the fighters, infuriating Israeli intelligence.
Throughout his career, Salerno has documented how Israel’s Mossad enjoyed close ties with Italian intelligence agencies, cooperating on various secret missions. “Mossad practically gave birth in Rome,” he said.
While Salerno stops short of directly accusing Mossad of orchestrating Moro’s assassination, he believes Israeli intelligence played a decisive role in escalating tensions within Italy, even supporting radical factions like the Red Brigades to maintain Western geopolitical interests.
“This was not just about one man,” Salerno stressed. “It was about controlling Italy’s political direction during a critical moment of the Cold War.”
The revelations come with recent mass protests and strikes taking place across Italy in support of Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli genocide.
Recent surveys show strong backing among Italians – including a significant share of supporters of Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition – for the recognition of a Palestinian state. Meloni has criticised Israel’s killing of Palestinians in recent months, however, she continues to be one of Israel’s staunchest allies in the EU.
