Italy Hails Red Brigades Detentions in France

The Italian government hailed the detention in France Wednesday of seven former members of the left-wing extremist group the Red Brigades, saying the pain of their crimes still endured.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi welcomed France's decision to act on Italy's request against those "responsible for very serious terrorist crimes, which have left a wound that is still open".

He said the memory of their "barbaric acts" remained very much alive in Italy, offering his thoughts for the relatives of those killed.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio added: "These former Brigade members were accused and convicted in Italy for acts of terrorism related to the bloody events of the 1970s and 1980s."

That they had been picked up now showed "one cannot run away from one's responsibilities, from the pain inflicted, the harm caused", he said.

France has been a haven for Red Brigades figures under the so-called Mitterrand Doctrine, adopted in 1985, which offered protection to the extremists providing they renounced violence and were not wanted in Italy for murder or other "crimes of blood."

The fate of those detained Wednesday was discussed between Draghi and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Italian premier's office said.

There was also a meeting on April 8 between the countries' justice ministers, where Rome emphasised the urgency of action given the risk that some of their sentences would expire, an Italian ministry source told AFP.

In a statement, Italian Justice Minister Marta Cartabia hailed the "historic" decision by France and thanked her counterpart for his willingness to act.

Ultra-leftist groups like the Red Brigades sowed chaos during the period in Italy known as the "Years of Lead" -- named after the number of bullets fired -- from the late 1960s to mid-1980s. 

The Red Brigades were the most notorious and were blamed for hundreds of murders, including the kidnapping and killing of Christian Democrat leader and former premier Aldo Moro in 1978.