Commander Alfa, Italy's most decorated Carabiniere and a symbolic figure of the Carabinieri's Special Intervention Group, died at the age of 75. He was a founding member of the Special Intervention Group (GIS), the Carabinieri's top unit. After retiring in 2016, he wrote several books and became well known for presenting them while wearing a balaclava. Antonio Marzullo was 75 years old, born in Castelvetrano (in the province of Trapani, Sicily). His true identity was kept hidden until the very end, behind the pseudonym by which he was known throughout Italy. The Special Intervention Group was established in 1978 as a special Carabinieri force to fight terrorism and carry out other high-risk missions. Commander Alfa also participated in the first publicly released GIS operation, which was to put down a riot in Trani prison in 1980. He helped to free numerous high-profile kidnapping victims and served on various military missions overseas.