Operation Gladio was a secret NATO plan to perpetrate a series of false flag terror attacks to undermine the possible threat of communism in Europe. Revealed in a series of court cases in the mid 1980's and officially declared in both the Italian and European parliaments in the early 1990's, the disclosure of Operation Gladio proves that government have committed acts of terrorism against their own populations.

Many people today believe this policy of state sponsored terrorism continues. Often seen as a "conspiracy theory," those who find this suggestion impossible to contemplate may understand why people suspect this possibility if they familiarise themselves with Operation Gladio.