page_title: Raffaele Cutolo
section_title: Cirillo kidnapping
hierarchical_section_title: Raffaele Cutolo / Cirillo kidnapping
caption_attribution_description: English: Description: This is a picture of Ciro Cirillo, taken during his detention by Red Brigades in 1981. Source:Pronto Dc? Qui le Br - L'espresso
context_page_description: Raffaele Cutolo is an Italian crime boss and the charismatic leader of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata, an organisation he built to renew the Camorra. Cutolo has a variety of nicknames including "'o Vangelo", "'o Principe", "'o Professore" and "'o Monaco". Apart from 18 months on the run, Cutolo has lived inside maximum-security jails or psychiatric prisons since 1963. He is serving multiple life sentences for murder.
context_section_description: Cutolo has been instrumental in obtaining the release of Ciro Cirillo, the Christian Democrat member of the regional government of Campania ("assessore") in charge of Urban Planning, who had been abducted by the Red Brigades in April 1981. He was released within three months because, so rumour has it, the Christian Democrats paid Cutolo to use his influence with the Red Brigades.
  Publicly the Christian Democrats had refused to negotiate with terrorists, but privately leading politicians and members of the secret services visited Cutolo in prison and asked him to negotiate with imprisoned members of the Red Brigades. A large ransom was paid to win Cirillo's release. In return, Cutolo allegedly asked for a slackening of police operations against the Camorra, for control over the tendering of building contracts in Campania (a lucrative venture since Campania was hit by a devastating earthquake in November 1980) and for a reduction of his own sentence – as well as new psychiatric test to show that he is not responsible for his actions. Both these last concessions were granted.
caption: Cirillo (pictured) during his kidnapping by the Red Brigades
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