Franco Lamolinara, a 47-year-old engineer, was killed by the kidnappers along with British hostage Christopher McManus in a failed rescue attempt by British forces Thursday.
The two engineers were involved in the construction of the state headquarters for the Central Bank of Nigeria and worked for B Stabilini, an Italian construction firm based in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
Gunmen seized them in Birnin Kebbi city, in north-west Nigeria, on the 12th of May 2011. A video was released to news media last year showing the men blindfolded with masked men standing behind them.
After the news of Lamolinara's death broke out in Italy, immediate reaction followed across the political spectrum with many politicians complaining that David Cameron did not consult Italy before approving the rescue operation. According to what a Downing Street spokesperson said to the BBC, the UK had been in regular contact with the Italian authorities throughout the case and Rome was informed when the operation was under way.
Monti's official statement after the news used very similar language to that of Cameron, offering his condolences to the two men's families, thanking the Nigerian authorities and those who risked their lives in the rescue attempt, but made it also clear that the Italians were told that the military option was being used only after the operation had started.
