Department of Anti-terrorism Strategic Studies

The Department of Anti-terrorism Strategic Studies (Italian: Dipartimento Studi Strategici Antiterrorismo, DSSA) is an Italian organization reported to have been set up in 2004 and under investigation since July 2005 ^[1].

DSSA activities

The DSSA was investigated by the Italian police in July 2005 upon suspects of being a "parallel police", echoing the "stay-behind" Gladio NATO secret armies, involved in "terrorismo nero" during the 1970-80s. Such "parallel police" had been created by far-right members Gaetano Saya and Riccardo Sindoca, leaders of the National Union of the Police Forces (Unpf), a trade-union well represented among all the various branches of state security forces. Both claimed to be former members of Gladio, whilst far-right Nuovo Movimento Sociale Italiano - Destra Nazionale website described Gaetano Saya as a founding member and president of the party. Riccardo Sindoca was described as an "expert in criminology" and Destra Nazionale 's Cabinet chief ^[1]. Destra Nazionale was founded in 2000 as a successor to Giorgio Almirante's will and the Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI) neo-fascist party [1].

The group allegedly carried police-like operations by surveilling supects, and by writing reports on them. Such endeavours were performed through illegal access to the Interior Ministry’s protected datafiles. The group also allegedly falsified law enforcement badges. Moreover, among the false information that DSSA provided were details of fictitious al-Qaeda attacks against Milan Linate international airport and the city landmark Duomo cathedral. The group allegedly aimed to embezzle funds that became available, both nationally and internationally, after the 11 March 2004 Madrid blasts, as part of the global "war on terror". DSSA allegedly tried to obtain such funds from NATO, the United States and Israel by pretending to be a legitimate and trustworthy intelligence service.

Kidnap Cesare Battisti?

Some 25 people were being investigated, but the group was thought to be composed of about 200 persons. Roughly half of the 25 suspects are Italian law enforcement, including Carabinieri, prison guards and financial police. According to the DSSA website - closed after the Italian media's revelations -, Fabrizio Quattrocchi, murdered in Iraq after being taken hostage, was there "for the DSSA". DSSA founder Gaetano Saya subsequently denied these allegations, indicating in 150 the number of people involved^[2].Furthermore, according to juridical sources, the DSSA was trying to obtain international and national recognition by intelligence agencies, in order to obtain financement for its parallel activities. Il Messaggero, quoting juridical sources, also declared that wiretaps suggested that DSSA members had been planning to kidnap Cesare Battisti, a former communist activist wanted by the Italian justice. "We were seeing the genesis of something similar to the death squads in Argentina" the magistrate is reported to have said.^[3] Italian press talked about "another Gladio", referring to NATO's "stay-behind" clandestine paramilitary groups during the Cold War ^[4].

Endnotes

1. ^ ^{a b} Foreign, Our (2005-07-02). "Police arrests two 'terror vigilantes'". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1678118,00.html. 
2. ^ "Sono 150 gli iscritti, consegnerò i nomi". La Repubblica. 2005-07-02. http://www.repubblica.it/2005/g/sezioni/cronaca/polipala/150iscritti/150iscritti.html. 
3. ^ Philips, John (2005-07-05). "Up to 200 Italian police 'ran parallel anti-terror force'". London: The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article296897.ece. Retrieved 2010-05-01.  (URL accessed on January 22, 2007)
4. ^ "Macché Gladio bis, le autorità sapevano Gaetano Saya si difende (Google translation available)". La Repubblica. 2005-07-02. http://www.repubblica.it/2005/g/sezioni/cronaca/polipala/nogladio/nogladio.html.  ; "Gladio, P2, falangisti l'Italia che sogna il golpe". La Repubblica. 2005-07-03. http://www.repubblica.it/2005/g/sezioni/cronaca/polipala/sognigolpe/sognigolpe.html. ;"Così reclutavano: «Facciamo un'altra Gladio»". Corriere della Sera. 2005-07-03. http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2005/07_Luglio/02/imarisio.shtml. 

External links

• http://www.dssa-antiterrorismo.it/ DSSA website: down since the public uproar. Interestingly, the Google cache link given by Peace reporter doesn't work either. The Domain is owned by Riccardo Sindoca, who is a former Gladio member. An archived version of the website is still available via the Web Archive. http://web.archive.org/web/20050527202518/http://www.dssa-antiterrorismo.it/
• "Italy probes 'parallel police'". BBC News. 2005-07-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4640247.stm. 
• "Italy Nabs 2 in 'Parallel' Police Scheme & others news". Indymedia. 2005-07-03. http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2005/07/826216.php.