Topic summary
Banda della Magliana
The Banda della Magliana (Italian:, lit.'Magliana Gang') was an Italian criminal organization based in Rome. It was founded in 1975. Given by the media, the name refers to the original neighbourhood, the Magliana, of some of its members.
The Banda della Magliana was heavily involved in criminal activities during Italy's Years of Lead (anni di piombo). The Italian government claimed that the Banda della Magliana was closely allied with and tied to other criminal organizations, such as Cosa Nostra, Camorra, and 'Ndrangheta. Some left-wing journalists have also claimed the gang had links to neofascist militant and terrorist groups, such as the Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari (NAR), responsible for the 1980 Bologna massacre; the Italian secret services (SISMI), and political figures such as Licio Gelli, grand-master of the Freemasonic lodge Propaganda Due (P2). They have also alleged that, along with Gladio, the NATO clandestine anti-communist organization, P2 was involved in a strategy of tension during the Years of Lead which included false flag terrorist attacks. However, no concrete proof exists to support these claims, and a memoir by a gang insider made no mention of any supposed links.
The Banda della Magliana was involved with the usual activities of Italian criminal gangs, such as drug dealing, horse race betting, and money laundering, among others; its ties to political groups set it apart. It is believed to have been involved with events such as the 1978 murder of former prime minister Aldo Moro, leader of the Christian Democracy party, who was negotiating the Historic Compromise with the Italian Communist Party (PCI); the 1979 assassination of journalist Carmine Pecorelli; the 1980 Bologna massacre; the 1982 assassination attempt against Roberto Rosone, vice-president of Banco Ambrosiano; and also Roberto Calvi's 1982 murder. The mysterious disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, a case peripherally linked to former Grey Wolves member Mehmet Ali Ağca's 1981 Pope John Paul II assassination attempt, has also been related to the gang. The Orlandi kidnapping was allegedly to persuade the legally immune Vatican Bank to restore funds to Banco Ambrosiano creditors.