[1][2] In 1981, Cirillo was kidnapped by the Red Brigades (BR), an Italian paramilitary group, in a case that garnered worldwide attention.
[3] He began his career at the Camera di Commercio, Industria, Agricoltura e Artigianato, the chamber of commerce of Naples.
[3] While Cirillo's kidnapping drew worldwide headlines, many of the events during this time period remain a mystery to the present day.
[3][11] Cirillo was finally released on 25 July 1981, following a controversial ransom payment by the DC of 1.45 billion lire (the equivalent of 748,000 euros in 2017).
[3] The ransom proved contentious, as the DC had previously refused payment for the release of former prime minister Aldo Moro, who was kidnapped and killed by the BR in 1978 following 55 days of captivity.
When Moro was abducted by the BR in 1978, the DC-led government immediately took a hardline position: the "state must not bend" on terrorist demands.