"Now I’m going to show you how an Italian dies."

[Reciprocity]

AN ITALIAN hostage killed in Iraq was hailed yesterday as a hero who in his last moments told his kidnappers defiantly: "I’m going to show you how an Italian dies."

Fabrizio Quattrocchi, one of four Italian security guards abducted this week, was shot dead on Wednesday after Italy refused to bow to the kidnappers’ demands and withdraw its 3,000 troops from Iraq.

The Italian foreign minister, Franco Frattini, said a video recording of the shooting showed Mr Quattrocchi was hooded when his kidnappers put a gun to his head.
"When the murderers were pointing a pistol at him, this man tried to take off his hood and shouted: ‘Now I’m going to show you how an Italian dies.’ And they killed him," Mr Frattini said. "He died a hero."
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=427742004

What a man. Defiant and unbowed he died on his terms not theirs.
Rest in peace Fabrizio.

[rpannier]

1. Agreed

Tragic death, brave in the face of it. I admire him for it.

[rooboy]

2. Who has seen this video?

I can't trust this kind of story unless someone I trust verifies it. Berlusconi's government is just as unbelievable as Bush's, and I know who Jessica Lynch is.

[Junkdrawer]

18. "Let's Roll"(tm).....

:eyes:

[yella_dawg]

37. Precisely

[tom_paine]

34. Unfortunately you are correct

If true, the man was a ballsy, gutsy hero and we Free American should take note of his courageous actions.

[MrSlayer]

3. Much honor to him.

He showed incredible guts and defiance and died with extreme honor. I salute him.

[izzie]

8. I think the news is pulling our leg he is a 'worker'

He really is a gun for hire. Why is no one saying that nasty word?Mercenary.

[T Bone]

21. Wars fought with mercenaries always fail

reference: British Colonial War in the Americas. 1775-1783.

[Mike Daniels]

25. Given your lack of proof to support your point...

how do you know for sure he was a merc?

Even if he was a merc, does that diminish the barbaric way he was executed?

Yup, that was a real brave thing the executioners did. Shooting a man while a bag is over his head always shows a display of integrity and moral justification, doesn't it?

[demosincebirth]

42. Whats the difference?

He didn't die crying and weeping like many of us would.

May he rest in peace!

[Djinn]

4. how did he die on his terms

sounds to me he was pretty brave about it - but I doubt very much this was "his terms"

[DoNotRefill]

5. "when I die, I want it to be in my sleep, like my grandpa...

unlike his passengers, who died screaming in terror."

We can't all choose when to die. We can choose how to face it.

[Djinn]

10. well

choosing to work for a security firm in Iraq right now is kinda shortening your odds a bit - you'd think some of the millions of unemployed Iraqi's could be trained to be "security" - still thinking going to work for war profiteers in Iraq is a good idea DoNotRefill

[rooboy]

11. I know it's a sad thread, but shit that's funny... n/t

[Mike Daniels]

26. Well, he could have died like a sniveling coward

Weeping and pleading for his life despite the fact that it wasn't going to change the fact that someone was going to put a bullet in his head.

Given the limited choices he had, I'd say he died on his own terms.

[Zorra]

6. The situation in Iraq is, by any social norm, insane.

This is really sick. And very sad.

So much death and destruction, all because of Bu$h.

[Catt03]

16. I agree

The world is going insane.

[FoolishMoon]

7. Dying on MY terms

If I have to die,I'm going out on my terms too. Reminds me of a friend of mine a few years back. He was attacked just off Halsted Street in Chicago one night by some 'phobes. As they were beating him, he managed to get on top of one and spit on him, which was bloody from a blow to the mouth. He screamed "if you are going to kill me, I'm taking at least one of you with me! Share my tainted blood as***le!" They left shortly after that, leaving my friend bloody and messed up, but laughing hysterically at scaring off his attackers. That's how I wanna go...laughing all the way. That or right after an amazing night with an entire water polo team. :9

[11 Bravo]

27. Welcome to DU!

You're going to love it here!

[FlemingsGhost]

9. A mercenary dies at the hands of militants.

His "terms" and theirs are quite similar actually.

Rambo lived to tell the story, Fabrizio... R.I.P

[JohnLocke]

22. He wasn't a "mercenary"

He was a security guard. Show some respect.

[el_gato]

31. Why should we show repspect to someone who profits off of death?

He shouldn't have been there and he died for greed.

I have no sorrow for these types.

[JohnLocke]

41. Oh, yes. Security guards are evil warmongers </sarcasm>.

[Reciprocity]

12. Clarification

What a man. Defiant and unbowed he died on his terms not theirs.

By his on terms I meant the way he meet death not that he wanted to die this way.

[Guaranteed]

13. Oh...so THAT'S how an Italian dies.

It probably sounded better before the translation.

But, yeah, good for him for putting up a fight.

[LoZoccolo]

20. "Ora sto andando mostrarvi come un italiano muore."

Il nome significa "the hoof".

[Piperay]

14. I admire his courage

when you are being murdered it has to be the most difficult time to show strength and bravery.

[JNelson6563]

15. I'm doubtful

Is the only source for this the Italian official? This smacks a bit of propaganda.

Julie

[keithyboy]

17. Sounded more like a mercenary to me. A regular civilian wouldn't

say that kind of thing...there just is not bene to be gained. I think these 'terrorists' have much better intelligence than we do, they seem to know who is and who is not a regular civilian.

[JohnLocke]

23. Bull.

He wasn't a "mercenary."

[el_gato]

32. He's partaking in an occupation for money

How is that not mercenary in nature?

[Muddleoftheroad]

33. By that definition

Red Cross folks are legit targets since they are being paid as well.

Your definition sucks.

[Vladimir]

35. The Red Cross/Crescent would be there

regardless of the occupation. People like this Italian guy are only there because of it, and their presence directly serves to prop up the occupation, whereas that of the Red Crescent does not.

You want 17,000 a month to work for the occupiers in Iraq? You live with the consequences.

V

[Muddleoftheroad]

36. Not true

Lots of foreign aid is there because the sanctions are gone and Saddam is as well.

Nice rationalization for terror at the very end there. Yes, blame the victim.

[Vladimir]

38. Its not terror actually

its resistance. If you want to debate about the punishment, then yes it was harsh and no he probably didn't deserve to die but that is the nature of the beast. If you want to debate al-Sadr's politics, then I abhor non-secularism, as always. If you want to debate this kidnapping business, I think its counterproductive and a tactical mistake. But that does not make the resistance illegitimate.

And as for who would and wouldn't be there, if the occupation ended tomorrow, the Red Cross would remain. Foreigners guarding oil pipes wouldn't.

V

[TexasMexican]

39. Its Murder.

I cant imagine how you think shooting an unarmed man in the head is "resistance."

Fighting against US and Coalition forces is resistance. Murdering an unarmed man is not.

[Vladimir]

40. As I said

killing him was probably the wrong thing to do... my posts had more do to with many people here calling him some sort of hero. And during WWII, partisans made it a point of going after 'collaborators', whether civilian or not. This is different from, say, a suicide bomber blowing himself up in an Israli supermarket or Madrid subway etc. There, I agree completely, these are not legitimate targets in any way shape or form. But if you come to Iraq to work for the occupation or a company being contracted by the occupation, of your own free will, then you are supporting the occupation. As such, you forfeit your civilian status IMO.

V

[0007]

19. Duh!

Wasn't a smart thing to mouth off -

[JohnLocke]

24. The were going to kill him anyway (nt).

[progressivebydesign]

30. Okay.. if he was hooded.. and probably didn't speak their language..

..how did he know he was going to be killed then? How did he know the gun was at his head, about to killed? While I think this makes for a courageous legend for the Italians, I'm not buying the story without some sort of independent confirmation.

He was part of a security force. That would usually be a mercenary type job.. gun for hire.

I'm sorry for his family and for him. What a terrible way to die. I try not to be too cynical about the "security employee" deaths, knowing that they too, have not doubt killed people in Iraq. They are unregulated and carry machine guns... bad combo.

[Reciprocity]

28. al-Jazeera

Too graphic I doubt it. What al-Jazeera in my opinion found lurid and disturbing is that he died defiantly and not a sniveling crybaby.

The mass hostage-taking in Iraq is a sadly familiar guerilla tactic, reports Paul McGeough in Baghdad

Arab television is often quite lurid. But even al-Jazeera decided against running the video of Italian security contractor Fabrizio Quattrocchi attempting to rip away the hood, as a pistol was put to his head, shouting: "Now I'm going to show you how an Italian dies."

"Hostage died like a hero," said the Italian headlines. But Quattrocchi was just a baker from Genoa who thought the $17,000 a month he would earn in Iraq would hasten his plans for marriage and buying a house.

Until news of his capture broke, his poor mother thought he was in Kosovo. Think of the families of three other Italians captured with him, who also have been threatened with death, and of what they must be going through.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/16/1082055652024.html

The link above has his picture.

[heidiho]

29. Resto nella pace, Fabrizio.

Siete morto con la dignità.