MILAN — 1969 · Unsolved Case
Piazza Fontana Bombing
On the afternoon of 12 December 1969, a bomb exploded in the headquarters of the Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Milan's Piazza Fontana, killing 17 people and injuring 88. The investigation initially targeted anarchists; the anarchist railway worker Giuseppe Pinelli, held for questioning, died after falling from a window of the police headquarters, and the official accounts were riddled with inconsistencies. In later years inquiries turned to neo-fascist circles and to diversionary activities by secret services. After decades of trials, Italy's Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that the attack had been organised by the neo-fascist group Ordine Nuovo, but the last defendants were acquitted and no one was punished. The bombing is seen as the start of Italy's 'Years of Lead'.
- Date
- 1969
- Place
- Lombardy, Italy, Milan, IT
- Category
- Unsolved Case
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 45.4633, 9.1936 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 12 December 1969A bomb exploded at the bank headquarters; 17 people died.
- 15 December 1969Detained anarchist Pinelli died after falling from the police headquarters.
- 1970s–1990sTrials were repeatedly overturned and reheard.
- May 2005The Supreme Court attributed the attack to Ordine Nuovo but the last defendants were acquitted.
Sources
- BBC On This Day — 1969: Deadly bomb blasts in Italy news.bbc.co.uk ↗
- La Repubblica — Strage di Piazza Fontana, confermate le assoluzioni (2005) repubblica.it ↗
- Focus — La strage di Piazza Fontana focus.it ↗
- BBC On This Day
- La Repubblica
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.