Nicaragua broke off diplomatic relations with Italy on Wednesday, escalating a dispute over a convicted terrorist sheltered in Managua for more than four decades.
The rupture follows demands by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani for the extradition of Alessio Casimirri, a former Red Brigades militant sentenced to six life terms for his role in the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro. Tajani, speaking at a European People's Party summit in Madrid, called it unacceptable to grant immunity to a criminal.
Casimirri has lived in Nicaragua since 1983 and holds Nicaraguan nationality. The country's constitution prohibits the extradition of its own citizens, effectively shielding him from transfer to Italian authorities.