Narrative
Narrative of the Organization's History
Narrative of the Organization's History
Leadership, Name Changes, Size Estimates, Resources, Geographic Locations
Ideology, Aims, Political Activities, Targets, and Tactics
First Attacks, Largest Attacks, Notable Attacks
Foreign Designations and Listings, Community Relations, Relations with Other Groups, State Sponsors and External Influences
Mapping relationships with other militant groups over time in regional maps
The Red Brigades Walter Alasia (BR-WA), like all of Italy's left-wing terrorist groups including the Red Brigades and its other successors, generally sought to overthrow the Italian state and replace it with a dictatorship of the proletariat. The group argued that the historic core of the Red Brigades had lost touch with the working class and was too hierarchical. In this regard, the BR-WA ideologically resembled BR rival Prima Linea (PL), whose founders had split from the Red Brigades in the mid-1970s over similar disagreements.
The BR-WA targeted factory managers almost exclusively, killing two and kidnapping one. The group staged only a handful of successful attacks over its three-year lifespan, however. Unlike the BR's other offshoots, it did not focus on politicians, magistrates, law enforcement, or prisons.
Disclaimer: These are some selected major attacks in the militant organization's history. It is not a comprehensive listing but captures some of the most famous attacks or turning points during the campaign.
November 12, 1980: Two members of the BR-WA killed an industrial manager on a train in Milan. (1 killed)[10]
November 28, 1980: Members of the BR-WA killed an engineer near his home in Milan. (1 killed).[11]
February 17, 1981: Four members of the BR-WA killed a hospital director as he was getting out of his car in Milan. The victim had previously attempted to curb the BR's influence among his patients. (1 killed).[12]
June 2, 1981: Members of the BR-WA kidnapped the director of production of the Alfa Romeo car factory in Milan. They released him July 23. (0 killed).[13]
The BR-WA was one of three main groups that split from the Red Brigades, Italy's largest left-wing terrorist group, beginning in 1980. The others were the Red Brigades Fighting Communist Party (BR-PCC) and the Red Brigades Guerrilla Party (BR-PG). BR-WA was previously known as the Milan wing of the BR prior to the split.
The BR-WA and the BR were ideological rivals. The BR-WA may have wanted to take over the main organization but never spread beyond its original base in Milan before it was rapidly dismantled by law enforcement.[14]
The BR-WA was ideologically aligned with the Red Brigades Guerrilla Party (BR-PG) and with Prima Linea (PL), the second-largest left-wing terrorist group in Italy. Members of the BR-WA, the BR-PG, and the PL discussed collaborating on a prison break but cancelled the operation because it was too difficult.[15]
[1] Brigaterosse.org. "Breve storia delle Brigate rosse (1970-1987) Parte III." June 4, 2006. Available: http://www.brigaterosse.org/brigaterosse/storia/storia3.htm and Associazione Italiana per Vittime del Terrorismo, Schede/1980/BRIANO, available: http://www.vittimeterrorismo.it/memorie/schede/briano.htm
[2] Segio, Sergio. Una Vita In Prima Linea. 1. ed. Milano: Rizzoli, 2006. p. 373.
[3] Brigaterosse.org. "Le Brigate rosse – Colonna "Walter Alasia" (1980-1983)." September 11, 2005. Available: http://www.brigaterosse.org/brigaterosse/storia/alasia.htm
[4] Brigaterosse.org."Le Brigate rosse – Colonna "Walter Alasia" (1980-1983)." September 11, 2005. Available: http://www.brigaterosse.org/brigaterosse/storia/alasia.htm
[5] Fenzi, Enrico (Deposition) in Moran, Sue Ellen (ed.). Inside a Terrorist Group: The Red Brigades of Italy. Diane Publishing, 1987. pp. 199-201.
[6] Brigaterosse.org. "Le Brigate rosse – Colonna "Walter Alasia" (1980-1983)." September 11, 2005. Available: http://www.brigaterosse.org/brigaterosse/storia/alasia.htm
[7] Brigaterosse.org. "Le Brigate rosse – Colonna "Walter Alasia" (1980-1983)." September 11, 2005. Available: http://www.brigaterosse.org/brigaterosse/storia/alasia.htm
[8] Friday, Carolyn. "Why Italy Got Tough on Red Brigades Prisoners." The Christian Science Monitor, March 3, 1982. Available: http://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0303/030362.html
[9] Curcio, Renato (ed). La Mappa Perduta. Roma: Sensibili alle foglie, 1994. p. 187. Also available via Brigaterosse.org."Le Brigate rosse – Colonna "Walter Alasia" (1980-1983)." September 11, 2005. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.brigaterosse.org
[10] Brigaterosse.org. "Breve storia delle Brigate rosse (1970-1987) Parte III." June 4, 2006, available: http://www.brigaterosse.org/brigaterosse/storia/storia3.htm; Associazione Italiana per Vittime del Terrorismo, Schede/1980/BRIANO, available: http://www.vittimeterrorismo.it/memorie/schede/briano.htm
[11] Segio, Sergio. Una Vita In Prima Linea. 1. ed. Milano: Rizzoli, 2006. p. 372.
[12] Segio, Sergio. Una Vita In Prima Linea. 1. ed. Milano: Rizzoli, 2006. p. 372, and Associazione Italiana Vittime del Terrorismo. Schede/1981/MARANGONI. Available: http://www.vittimeterrorismo.it/memorie/schede/marangoni.htm
[13] Segio, Sergio. Una Vita In Prima Linea. 1. ed. Milano: Rizzoli, 2006. p. 373.
[14] Fenzi, Enrico (Deposition) in Moran, Sue Ellen (ed.). Inside a Terrorist Group: The Red Brigades of Italy. Diane Publishing, 1987. pp. 199-201.
[15] Segio, Sergio. Una Vita In Prima Linea. 1. ed. Milano: Rizzoli, 2006. p. 201.