Dalla Chiesa

Born in Saluzzo, 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 (“Friar Machine Gun”), who infiltrated the organisation.

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.On 1 May 1982, dalla Chiesa was appointed as prefect for Palermo to stop the violence of the Second Mafia War. He was murdered in Palermo on 3 September 1982, on the orders of Mafia boss Salvatore Riina. He and his second wife Emanuela Setti Carraro were in an Autobianchi A112 driven by her, 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 escort agent, Domenico Russo.

The lead killer was Pino Greco, who was later convicted in absentia of the crime at the Maxi Trial. A number of other gunmen were involved, including Giuseppe Lucchese, who was also sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime at the Maxi Trial. Bernardo Provenzano, Salvatore Riina, Giuseppe Calò, Bernardo Brusca, Francesco Madonia, Nenè Geraci and Francesco Spadaro were later also sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia.

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. We must not forget people like him! Thank you!