1980
January 6, Rome
Maurizio Arnesano, 19 years old, Public Security Guard

Maurizio Arnesano was born on July 20, 1960, in Carmiano, in the province of Lecce. He joined the police force in 1978; after attending the Police Academy in Vicenza, he served at the Rome Police Headquarters.
On February 6, 1980, while on duty guarding the Embassy of Lebanon in Rome, he was attacked from behind by two far-right terrorists belonging to the N.A.R. (Armed Revolutionary Nuclei), later identified as Valerio Fioravanti and Giorgio Vale.
The two terrorists attempted to seize his Beretta M-12 submachine gun, which he was carrying while on duty. During the violent struggle, Fioravanti aimed his gun at the agent, ordering him to hand over the submachine gun, but when Arnesano showed signs of resistance, he shot him three times in the arm and then fired another four bullets into his back as he sought refuge near the embassy entrance.
Arnesano had just sent a photograph of himself with a note to his family: “Don’t worry, I’m still alive.”
The following day, President of the Republic Sandro Pertini paid homage to the slain agent’s body. The funeral took place on February 8 in Carmiano, Arnesano’s hometown.
Cristiano Fioravanti, Valerio’s brother, on April 13, 1981, told the deputy prosecutor of Rome: “On the morning of Arnesano’s murder, Valerio told me that a policeman would give him a submachine gun. I, incredulous, asked at what price, and he replied, ‘for free.’ He smiled, and I understood.”
It was certainly not common for neo-fascists to shoot at policemen and judges, but the young recruits of the black terrorism began to target uniforms and robes precisely to break with the statist and pro-government tradition of their predecessors, to sweep away any stereotype that considers the far-right and the structures of the repressive state, such as Law Enforcement and the Judiciary, as natural allies.
Valerio Fioravanti, the murderer of Maurizio Arnesano, was arrested in 1981 in Padua after being wounded in a shootout with a patrol of Carabinieri, during which two soldiers were killed.
With six judgments from the Court of Appeal, Fioravanti was convicted of numerous crimes, including terrorism, theft, and robbery, and sentenced to 8 life imprisonments and a total of 134 years and 8 months in prison; he served a total of 26 years in prison, including 5 under probation. He was also found guilty of the Bologna massacre on August 2, 1980, and overall of the murder of 93 people. Since July 1999, he has been enjoying a semi-liberty regime with external work at the association Nessuno tocchi Caino (Let No One Touch Cain).