The Nicaraguan foreign ministry announced on Thursday that it has terminated diplomatic relations with Italy. The decision followed a public dispute regarding Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the far-left Red Brigades who was convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro. Nicaragua previously granted citizenship to Casimirri, who currently resides in the country.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized Nicaragua for harboring Casimirri and reiterated calls for his extradition. Tajani stated that granting immunity to a convicted criminal is unacceptable to the Italian government. In response, Nicaragua's foreign ministry cited Tajani's comments as the primary reason for breaking ties.
Aldo Moro was a prominent leader of the Christian Democrats who was abducted in Rome in March 1978. The Red Brigades killed him two months later after the Italian government refused to negotiate for the release of imprisoned militants. Italy has sought the return of Casimirri for decades to serve his sentence related to the case.