Argo 16
| Bombing summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 23, 1973 |
| Summary | Detonation of improvised explosive device |
| Site | Marghera, Italy |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 4 (all) |
| Aircraft type | Douglas C-47 Dakota |
| Operator | Italian Air Force |
| Registration | MM61832 |
Argo 16 was the codename of an Italian Air Force C-47 Dakota aircraft, registration MM61832, used by the Italian Secret Service SID and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in covert operations.
On 23 November 1973, at 7:30 Argo 16 took off from the airport of Venice, arrived at the altitude of 2,500 feet, then fell and crashed into the Montefibre plant of Marghera, located in an industrial park close the airport. The disaster caused four deaths, including Commander Borreo, an experienced and highly decorated pilot who flew during the Second World War. The code name of the plane Argo 16, was named for the giant mythological all-seing Argus Panoptes. The aeroplane conducted electrinoc observation missions in the Adriatic Sea for the Secret Service against the Yugoslavian radar network. According To Luigi, Borreo`s father, the commander of the crew of the Argo 16, Anano Borreo, feared for his life: he was aware that his work placed him at the centre of delicate and dangerous situations. General Gianadelio Maletti (SID) attributed the disaster to sabotage carried out by the Israeli Secret Service. The RAI dossier "Argo 16 - Un mistero mai chiarito", however, concluded that the cause of the crash will likely remain a mystery.[1]
Conclusive Gladio links to the strategy of tension and right-wing terrorism came to light in November 1973 when Venetian examining magistrate Carlo Mastelloni determined that the Argo-16 aircraft which exploded in flight near Venice was being used to shuttle trainees and munitions between the US base in Sardinia and Gladio sites in north-east Italy.[2]
There have been circumstantial evidence that members of Gladio were responsible for incidents in Italy's murky past. General Gerardo Serravalle, head of Gladio from 1971 to 1974, told a television programme that he now thought the explosion aboard the plane Argo 16 on 23 November 1973 was probably the work of gladiatori who were refusing to hand over their clandestine arms. Until then it was widely believed the sabotage was carried out by Mossad, the Israeli foreign secret service, in retaliation for the pro-Libyan Italian government's decision to expel, rather than try, five Arabs who had tried to blow up an Israeli air-liner. The Arabs had been spirited out of the country on board the Argo 16.[3]
See also
- Operation Gladio, a NATO clandestine structure during the Cold War, engaged in Italy 's strategy of tension during the 1970s and 1980s.
References
- ↑ Argo 16 - Un mistero mai chiarito RAI, Retrieved Feb. 21 2015
- ↑ Carr, Gordon (2010). The Angry Brigade a history of Britain's first urban guerilla group. Oakland, CA: PM Press. p. 209. ISBN 1-60486-049-9.
- ↑ "Clarion: Gladio terrorism parliamentary inquiry, Indep 1 Dec 1990". Cambridge Clarion Group. Dec 1, 1990. Retrieved Feb 21, 2015.
Coordinates: 45°28′33″N 12°13′29″E / 45.47583°N 12.22472°E