Godfather of Sicilian Mafia Arrested: After 30 years of being on the run, Italy’s most famous mafia ‘godfather” has been captured in Sicily.
Matteo Messina Denaro (60) was taken into custody in Palermo, Sicily’s capital. Multiple outlets reported the arrest, including the BBC, and La Repubblica.
According to The Washington Post, he is the head for the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. He is also responsible for multiple murders, including the 1992 killings of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone (and Paolo Borsellino) in which he was shot and killed.
Messina Denaro, a ruthless boss of the Sicilian Mafia, arrested
According to the BBC, Italian authorities believe that he is also responsible for a series of bomb attacks on Milan, Florence, and Rome in 1993.
After Denaro was taken into custody at a private clinic, Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, posted the following tweet: “A great victory by the state which shows that it does not give in to the mafia.”
She added that Matteo Messina Denaro is another head of organized crime and was brought to justice.
Gian Carlo Caselli, an ex-italian anti-Mafia prosecutor, stated that the arrest was “exceptional… just historical event”, according to the BBC.
Una grande vittoria dello Stato che dimostra di non arrendersi di fronte alla mafia. All'indomani dell'anniversario dell'arresto di Totò Riina, un altro capo della criminalità organizzata, Matteo Messina Denaro, viene assicurato alla giustizia. pic.twitter.com/8d6sHaDloK
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) January 16, 2023
Italian media posted footage of the arrest online Monday. The footage shows large crowds cheering as Denaro is taken by police to an undisclosed place.
According to the BBC, more than 100 law enforcement officers were involved in this top-secret operation. Thousands of Italians watched it on TV.
The Cosa Nostra, along with the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta and the Camorra Naples-based Camorra are three of Italy’s most important crime families.
Europol refers to the organization as “the most traditional and widespread manifestation [of the Sicilian Mafia]” and has expertise in international money laundering, and cocaine trafficking.
The Europol website adds that “Extremely skilled Cosa Nostra money launderingers manage legitimate business structures, and have infiltrated some target countries’ economies, including South Africa and South Africa, Canada and the USA,”
Through the three Godfather movies, which starred Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro as well as Marlon Marko, James Caan, the organization is indelibly connected to Hollywood.
Although Denaro was on the run from 1993 to 1993, it is believed that he continued to pull the strings for the Cosa Nostra out of a variety of secret hideouts.
He was also a powerful symbol of the long-standing failure of the Italian government to combat organized crime during his three decades on the streets.
Pasquale Angelosanto (commander Carabinieri) said Monday that Denaro was being treated for an unspecified illness. The Washington Post.
Stefania Filosto revealed that the clinic’s owner was using the false name “Bonafede,” and added The Washington Post to the article citing the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Filosto said that “Nobody could’ve imagined”, adding that Denaro was waiting for a COVID-19 testing when “suddenly arm men” appeared.
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