Carminati frequented a bar that was a haunt of Rome criminals and political extremists. He became a particular friend of Valerio Fioravanti, leader of the far right terrorist group "Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari" ("Armed Revolutionary Nuclei", or NAR). Carminati introduced Fioravanti to some Banda della Magliana members, including their leader Franco Giuseppucci, who became a close friend of Carminati, and Massimo Sparti who later became the main witness against Fioravanti for the 1980 Bologna train station bombing. After "Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari" and Banda della Magliana ceased to exist through arrests and violent death, Carminati managed to emerge as a figure in his own right.