Editing “Years of Lead” (section)

==Major Terrorist Attacks==
Gladio’s involvement began with the Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan on December 12, 1969, where a bomb at the Banca Nazionale dell’Agricoltura killed 17 and injured 88. Neo-fascists Giuseppe Pinelli and Pietro Valpreda were initially blamed, but investigations, notably by magistrate Felice Casson, later pointed to neo-fascist operatives like Vincenzo Vinciguerra, who confessed Gladio’s role in orchestrating the attack to frame anarchists. The Peteano bombing (May 31, 1972), killing three carabinieri, was another Gladio-linked act, with Vinciguerra admitting to using C4 explosives from Gladio caches. The Italicus Express train bombing (August 4, 1974) killed 12 and injured 48, attributed to neo-fascist groups backed by Gladio, as confirmed by a 1981 parliamentary inquiry into P2’s activities. The deadliest attack, the Bologna train station bombing (August 2, 1980), killed 85 and injured over 200, with neo-fascists Valerio Fioravanti and Francesca Mambro convicted, though evidence suggested Gladio supplied the explosives. These attacks, totaling over 150 incidents, aimed to create a climate of fear and push public support toward right-wing governance.