Alfredo Cospito (born 1967) is an Italian

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

. In his twenties, he refused

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

to military service and was convicted of desertion, then pardoned after going on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

for one month. In 2012, he was sentenced to 10 years for

kneecapping Kneecapping is a form of malicious wounding, often as torture, in which the victim is injured in the knee. The injury is typically inflicted by a low-velocity gunshot to the knee pit with a handgun. The term is considered a misnomer by medical ...

the head of the Italian nuclear power company Ansaldo Nucleare. Whilst imprisoned, he was convicted of the 2006 bombing of a

Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...

barracks in which nobody was harmed. The

Supreme Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...

later increased the sentence to life imprisonment without parole. In 2022, Cospito was placed into the 41-bis prison regime which involves

solitary confinement Solitary confinement (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...

for 22 hours every day. In protest, he began a hunger strike in October 2022. Groups supporting Cospito have made demonstrations in Italy and symbolic attacks on Italian diplomatic offices globally; the Italian Foreign Minister

Antonio Tajani Antonio Tajani (; born 4 August 1953) is an Italian politician who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs since 22 October 2022. He served as President of the Europe ...

, who denounced receiving death threats, blamed an international anarchist network. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal against his placement in the 41-bis system in March 2023, then the following month the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...

ruled in favour of allowing the reduction of Cospito's sentence. In response to the latter, he stopped his hunger strike after 180 days on 19 April 2023; he had lost 50 kg. In June 2023, the Turin Court of Assizes reduced the sentence on Cospito regarding the Fossano bombing from life imprisonment to 23 years.

Early life

Cospito was born in

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

in 1967. He refused to continue military service after being

conscripted Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

in his twenties and was convicted of desertion, then pardoned by

Francesco Cossiga Francesco Maurizio Cossiga (; , ; 1928 – 2010)
. was an Italian politician who served as President of ...

President of Italy The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Politics of Italy, Italian politics comply with the Consti ...

, after going on

for one month. In the early 1990s, he was involved in

squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

actions in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, Pescara and

Lake Maggiore Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland. The lake and its shoreline are divided be ...

, being arrested for the attempt to make a

self-managed social centre A self-managed social center, also known as an autonomous social center, is a self-organized community center in which Anti-authoritarianism, anti-authoritarians put on voluntary activities. These autonomous spaces, often in multi-purpose venue ...

in the in Pescara. He moved to Turin and met his wife Anna Beniamino; together they ran a tattoo shop. He is an

Kneecapping of Adinolfi

On 7 May 2012, Cospito and his accomplice, Nicola Gai, rode on a motorbike to the house of Roberto Adinolfi, executive of the Italian nuclear power company Ansaldo Nucleare. The pair shot Adinolfi in the leg three times, fracturing his knee in an action known as

. A four-page communiqué sent to ''

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

'' newspaper claimed responsibility for the shooting on behalf of the Olga Cell of the FAI (Italian: '' Federazione Anarchica Informale'', FAI), taking its name in solidarity with imprisoned Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei member Olga Ikondomidou. In the early hours of the morning of 14 September 2012, Cospito was arrested with Gai in Turin. The pair were linked to the crime via surveillance footage,

wiretaps Wiretapping, also known as wire tapping or telephone tapping, is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connecti ...

and

textual analysis Content analysis is the study of documents and communication artifacts, known as texts e.g. photos, speeches or essays. Social scientists use content analysis to examine patterns in communication in a replicable and systematic manner. One of the ...

of the communiqué and were found guilty; they were each sentenced to ten years and eight months in jail. During the trial, Cospito and Gai claimed responsibility for the attack, with Cospito stating; "On a splendid May morning I took action and in those few hours I fully enjoyed life. For once I left fear and self-blame behind and challenged the unknown. In a Europe dotted with nuclear power plants, one of the main culprits of the nuclear disaster to come has fallen at my feet." Gai was released in 2020.

Bombing of Carabinieri barracks

While serving his sentence, Cospito received an additional 20-year term for the 2006 bombing of a

cadet barracks near Turin. His partner Anna Beniamino was also convicted, receiving a sentence of years. The attack was claimed under the acronym ''Animal and Tremendous Revolt/Informal Anarchist Federation'' (''RAT/FAI'') in a letter sent to the ''Corriere della Sera''. The bombing was planned with a booby-trap technique, with two explosive devices: a minor one which went off first, and a second one with a much higher potential (500 grams of

black powder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

along with bolts, screws and stones) timed to explode 15 minutes later to kill, according to investigators. In the opinion of the court, it was only by luck that nobody had died. The

later changed the sentence to "massacre against the state", upgrading it from 20 years in prison to life without parole. This crime, enacted by

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...

was previously punished with the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

. The FAI declared the bombing was an attack against "the infamous Italian Republic and the equally infamous anniversary of the Carabinieri. We hit the Carabinieri school in Fossano to make them understand from an early age what admiration their criminal military career provokes in us, the exploited."

41-bis and hunger strike

Cospito was moved into the restrictive 41-bis prison regime in Bancali prison in

Sassari Sassari ( ; ; ; ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 120,497 inhabitants as of 2025, and a functional urban area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, it contains ...

by the order of then

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Marta Cartabia in May 2022. He was the first anarchist to be put into 41-bis. This regime was created to stop mafia bosses communicating with their outside organizations and was later broadened to include "mafia, criminal, terrorist or subversive associations"; it involves

for 22 hours every day, with visits restricted to one hour per month. Access to rehabilitation programs is severely limited, as much as needed to prevent communication with the criminal organisation the inmate belongs to. Cospito commented "In addition to life imprisonment, given that from prison I continued to write and collaborate with the anarchist press, it was decided to shut my mouth forever with 41-bis". On 20 October 2022, Cospito began a

against the conditions of the 41-bis regime, losing almost 50 kg by 9 February. More than 200 criminal lawyers and jurists signed a petition condemning the judicial treatment of Cospito. In protest, anarchist groups held demonstrations in Bologna, Turin and Rome. At the start of December a Greek anarchist group called Revenge Cell Carlo Giuliani (named after Carlo Giuliani who was killed by police during the 2001 Genoa G8 summit), set alight two empty cars of senior Italian diplomat Susanna Schlein within the garage of her private residences, leading to an unusually large media and political interest. The alleged perpetrators released a communique five days later via Athens

indymedia The Independent Media Center, better known as Indymedia, is an open publishing network of activist journalist collectives that report on political and social issues. Following beginnings during the 1999 Carnival Against Capital and 1999 Seat ...

. The communique cited the reasons around Cospito's protest against the 41-bis regime, stating "The 41 bis is a regime of political, social and sensory extermination, aimed at the complete elimination of all contact with the outside world. Comrades, no matter how much they try to bury you, we will never forget you" as well as critiquing the migration and asylum policies of the

Meloni government The Meloni government is the 68th and current government of the Italian Republic, the first headed by Giorgia Meloni, leader of Brothers of Italy, who is also the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister of Italy. The government was swor ...

. There have also been attacks on Italian diplomatic offices in Argentina, Bolivia, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. In response, Italian Foreign Minister

claimed that an international anarchist network was carrying out an "attack against Italy, against Italian institutions", while

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

Matteo Piantedosi repeated the need for the 41-bis regime. Incarcerated anarchists Anna Beniamino, Juan Sorroche, and Ivan Alocco began hunger strikes in solidarity with Alfredo. Beniamino, incarcerated in Rebibbia Prison in Rome, ended her strike after 37 days saying "I've reached my objective, to get people talking about Alfredo Cospito's condition." A political scandal developed when Giovanni Donzelli, coordinator of the ruling

Brothers of Italy Brothers of Italy (, FdI) is a National conservatism, national-conservative and Right-wing populism, right-wing populist political party in Italy, that is currently the country's ruling party. After becoming the largest party in the 2022 Ita ...

party, announced in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

that Cospito was being manipulated by incarcerated mafia members and criticised members of the Democratic Party for meeting with him. Donzelli had been leaked a video of Cospito in prison by his flatmate Andrea Delmastro Delle Vedove who is the Justice Minister's state secretary. The Democratic Party called for both men to resign and

Giorgia Meloni Giorgia Meloni (; born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Italy since 2022. She is the first woman to hold the office. A member of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), Chamber of Deputies since 2006, s ...

(

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and leader of the Brothers of Italy) called for calm. The surveillance court in Rome rejected the appeal of Cospito against his prison conditions and

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

made a plea on behalf of the human rights of Cospito. The Supreme Court of Cassation set a date to hear his appeal against the 41-bis regime on 20 April 2023, then brought it forward to 24 February when Cospito's doctor and lawyer argued he would be dead by April. At the end of January, Cospito was moved from Sardinia to in Milan on account of his deteriorating health. In February, Minister of Justice

Carlo Nordio Carlo Nordio (born 6 February 1947) is an Italian politician, former magistrate and prosecutor, who is serving as Italian Minister of Justice since 22 October 2022, in Giorgia Meloni's government. In the 2022 Italian presidential election he was ...

said he refused the appeal of Cospito's lawyer. The

Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...

then rejected Cospito's appeal against the imposition of 41-bis. The National Bioethics Committee said it would continue to consider whether Cospito could refuse treatment. After his appeal was rejected, Cospito was returned from the San Paolo hospital to the Opera prison's medical department, where he declared his intention to cease taking

dietary supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...

s. During an announcement by Cospito's lawyers that they were planning an appeal to the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

, they published a letter from Cospito in which he proclaimed his willingness to die in order to "let the world know what the 41 bis really is". Cospito's lawyer reported in March 2023 that while waiting on an appeal to be transferred to

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

, Cospito had suffered a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

, his condition stabilizing after receiving an injection of

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

. This report was played down by both the court and the medical staff at the hospital. The supervisory courts of Milan and Sassari rejected the request for house arrest; judges cited "the obvious danger" of releasing Cospito. On 18 April 2023, the

ruled in favour of allowing the reduction of Cospito's sentence. The following day, Cospito announced that he was stopping his hunger strike after 180 days, having lost 50 kg. In June 2023, the Turin Court of Assizes reduced the sentence on Cospito regarding the Fossano bombing from life imprisonment to 23 years. Cospito commented in court "There is no evidence that we placed the bombs in Fossano ..Anarchists do not make indiscriminate massacres, because anarchists are not the state".

Selected works

* (2023) ''I Am Ready To Die'' – Last letter from prison * (2017) Operation Scripta Manent – Statement to the court * (2013) ''From the Belly of the Leviathan'' – Declaration at the trial for the kneecapping of Roberto Adinolfi

References

External links

''Fino All'ultimo Respiro'' (''Until my last breath'')
– Film with English subtitles about Alfredo Cospito and Anna Beniamino
Writings by Alfredo Cospito at The Anarchist Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cospito, Alfredo 1967 births Living people Italian anarchists Hunger strikers People from Pescara People from Turin People convicted on terrorism charges Insurrectionary anarchists 20th-century squatters People convicted of desertion Anti-nuclear activists Recipients of Italian presidential pardons 21st-century anarchists