Murder of Moro ‘only the beginning’

Press, 22 May 1978, Page 8

Murder of Moro ‘only the beginning’

NZPA-Reuter Rome The Italian police are investigating a new communique issued in the name of the Red Brigades urban guerrillas saying the murder of the former P.M., Aldo Moro, was only the beginning of a campaign to destroy the State. The police did not say whether they believed the message was authentic, but a State prosecutor immediately ordered newspapers not to publish the contents. The Rome daily, “11 Messaggero,” said it would publish the communique but said it would omit parts of the message which appeared to be coded instructions for Brigades units. The communique said in part that Mr Moro’s murder was nothing other than the first act of a precise objective to destabilise, disarticulate, and destroy the State.” The communique, different in several aspects from the nine messages sent while they

held Mr Moro, described the politician’s death 12 days ago as an “act of legitimate revolutionary' justice.” Unlike the previous messages, which were cyclostyled and issued in four cities, the two-page communique was photocopied and released only in Rome. But the message, headed “coded communique number one, Rome south,” was typed in italics on an 1.8. M. machine as were the earlier messages. It contained a number of spelling mistakes. Police sources speculated that the message was not cyclostyled because the police raided a suspected Red Brigades printing plant in Rome on Wednesday. Five people have been held since the raid, which apparently gave the police their first breakthrough in the hunt for the killers of Mr Moro. The latest communique said police were still a long way from catching the Brigades, who had twice sent

e security forces on false trails, j It also said the Brigades' - would shortly release “red; hot” documentation on the! - trial in which Mr Moro was - found “guilty of crimes r against the proleteriat” and - sentenced to death. I There were eight lines of numerals which appeared to 1 be coded instructions as well r as slogans calling for fresh 1 attacks against the “enemy.” Italy’s secret services ber lieve that Mr Moro gave his 1 Red Brigades murderers political and military secrets and; I this has caused alarm in the; t North Atlantic Treaty Or-; s ganisation Western Alliance,] i|a Rome newspaper has said.| t “La Republica” said it based its information on an; 1 interview with a senior sec-| - ret service official. r It quoted the official as| e saying: “We have concluded, r that Aldo Moro made num-! erouj and serious revelations; e to .his captors about names ’and situations which .in-' - volved both politics and the! t military.”