Antonio Giuseppe Chichiarelli, known as Toni, was an Italian criminal and forger born in Magliano de' Marsi, Abruzzo, in 1948 and killed in Rome in 1984. He was connected to the Banda della Magliana and had contacts with neofascist militants and figures in organized crime. Chichiarelli became known only after his death for forging the false communiqué number seven attributed to the Red Brigades during the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, one of the most notable disinformation episodes in Italian history.
Early life and career
Chichiarelli grew up in a mountain village in Abruzzo and left school after middle school. He moved to Rome in the late 1960s and was arrested several times for offences including theft and possession of weapons. In Rome he became acquainted with Danilo Abbruciati, who introduced him to the Banda della Magliana and its criminal activities. Through this circle he also met figures from organized crime and the art market, where he worked as a forger of paintings.
The false communiqué
During the 55 days of Aldo Moro's kidnapping in 1978, a false Red Brigades communiqué was delivered to the newspaper Il Messaggero, claiming that Moro's body lay in Lake Duchessa. Investigations established that Chichiarelli had produced it, although who commissioned him remained unknown. The text differed markedly from genuine Red Brigades statements, being brief, ironic and full of spelling errors.
Death and legacy
Chichiarelli was shot in an ambush near his home in the Talenti district of Rome on 28 September 1984, probably in a settling of scores. His role in the Moro affair was established only after his death, through the findings of the trials related to the case. The episode remains a notable example of disinformation in Italian public life, and the question of who ordered the forgery has never been fully resolved.