Italy arrests top mafia boss Messina Denaro at Sicilian hospital - Reuters.com

PALERMO, Italy, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Italian constabulary connected Monday arrested Matteo Messina Denaro, the country's astir wanted mafia brag who had been connected the tally since 1993, swooping connected a backstage infirmary successful the Sicilian superior Palermo wherever helium was undergoing treatment.

Prosecutors accidental Messina Denaro, 60, is simply a brag of Sicily's Cosa Nostra mafia.

He had been sentenced successful absentia to a beingness word for his relation successful the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

Police said they detained him astatine Palermo's "La Maddalena" infirmary connected Monday morning, successful the city's bluish suburbs. Images connected societal media showed locals applauding and shaking hands with constabulary successful balaclavas arsenic a minivan believed to incorporate the fishy was driven away.

Messina Denaro had been having appointments astatine the infirmary for immoderate time, Italy's Ansa quality bureau reported, adding that constabulary had secretly moved officers into the gathering overnight to safeguard different patients.

Italian quality agencies said helium is believed to beryllium suffering from cancer.

Messina Denaro besides faces a beingness condemnation for his relation successful weaponry attacks successful Florence, Rome and Milan which killed 10 radical the pursuing year.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the apprehension arsenic "a large triumph for the authorities that shows it ne'er gives up successful the look of the mafia".

"EXTRAORDINARY EVENT"

The apprehension comes astir 30 years to the time since constabulary arrested Salvatore "Toto" Riina, the Sicilian Mafia's astir almighty brag of the 20th century. He yet died successful jailhouse successful 2017, having ne'er broke his codification of silence.

"It is an bonzer event, of historical significance," Gian Carlo Caselli, who was a authoritative successful Palermo astatine the clip of Riina's arrest. The information the apprehension coincided with the Riina day made it adjacent much significant, helium added.

However, helium said Cosa Nostra had successful the past shown its quality to past the apprehension of elder figures and regroup.

Police said successful September 2022 that Messina Denaro was inactive capable to contented commands relating to the mode the mafia was tally successful the country astir the occidental Sicilian metropolis of Trapani, his determination stronghold, contempt his agelong disappearance.

Messina Denaro, who comes from the tiny municipality of Castelvetrano adjacent Trapani, is accused by prosecutors of being solely oregon jointly liable for galore different murders successful the 1990s.

In 1993 helium helped organise the kidnapping of a 12-year-old boy, Giuseppe Di Matteo, successful an effort to dissuade his begetter from giving grounds against the mafia, prosecutors say. The lad was held successful captivity for 2 years earlier helium was strangled and his assemblage dissolved successful acid.

additional reporting by Angelo Amante, penning by Keith Weir and Cristina Carlevaro, editing by Federico Maccioni, Gavin Jones and Nick Macfie

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