Kidnapping of Aldo Moro

On 16 March 1978, former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro was kidnapped by a group of radical communists called the Red Brigades. Motivated by a desire to weaken the Italian government’s power and influence, the Red Brigades ambushed Moro on his way to the Italian Parliament, overpowering his security detail and taking him hostage.

News of the kidnapping spread quickly, and the country was in shock. Moro was a well-respected figure in Italian politics, and his abduction was a direct challenge to the government's authority. The Red Brigades demanded the release of their members in exchange for Moro's freedom, but the government refused. Multiple unsuccessful nationwide manhunts were attempted, with at one point Pope Paul VI even offering his life in exchange for Moro’s.

In the end, the Red Brigades executed Moro on 9 May 1978, marking a pivotal point in Italy’s Years of Lead, a time of political upheaval which rocked the country from 1968 to 1988.