Rome
A wanted terrorist pulled out a gun during an identity check this week, resulting in a shootout in which a police officer and the terrorist’s companion were killed. Nadia Desdemona Lioce, wanted in a 1999 murder, was arrested after she precipitated the shootout. Police killed her companion, Mario Gelesi, 37, who also pulled out a gun and fired. It was unknown who fired the bullet that killed the police officer. Lioce and Gelesi were members of the Red Brigade, a Marxist terrorist group founded in the 1970s that aimed to create a revolutionary state and wrest Italy out of NATO. During the group’s heyday in 1978, when it kidnapped and executed prominent politician Aldo Moro, it had hundreds of members and thousands of supporters. It’s believed to have few followers now. After her arrest, Lioce immediately declared herself a political prisoner.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Pope seeks inquiry on if Gaza assault is 'genocide'Speed Read In a book for the Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis considers whether Israel's war in Gaza meets the legal definition of 'genocide'
-
Can Europe pick up the slack in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Trump's election raises questions about what's next in the war
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in RussiaSpeed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
