Messina Denaro: Second Mafia boss bunker found by Italian police - BBC

A 2nd hideout utilized by Italy's astir wanted mobster Matteo Messina Denaro has been discovered astatine the backmost of a wardrobe with a sliding base.

Italian constabulary said jewellery, gemstones and silverware were recovered successful the hidden chamber.

Empty insubstantial boxes were besides found, suggesting that perchance revealing documents were cleared retired aft Messina Denaro was arrested connected Monday.

He had been attending a chemotherapy league astatine a backstage session successful Sicily.

Shortly aft being apprehended, the Mafia brag was taken to a situation successful L'Aquila, successful the cardinal Italian portion of Abruzzo, wherever reports accidental helium volition proceed to person attraction for his cancer.

On Thursday, Messina Denaro whitethorn look via videolink astatine a proceeding connected the 1992 killings of judges Paolo Falcone and Giovanni Borsellino.

The killings are lone 2 of the crimes Messina Denaro - a erstwhile brag of the almighty Cosa Nostra organised transgression radical - has been recovered blameworthy of.

Italian media reported that determination are signs the 2nd hideout - a tiny enclosure hardly large capable for 1 idiosyncratic - had been inhabited "recently".

The bunker is successful a location astir 300m from the Mafia boss's archetypal hideout successful the Sicilian municipality of Campobello di Mazara.

Car keys recovered successful the container Messina Denaro was carrying astatine the clip of his apprehension led investigators to that archetypal location. Police raided the determination connected Monday day and recovered a 60sq m crushed level flat, which was described arsenic "comfortable".

Italian media said that luxury perfumes, costly furnishings and decorator apparel were recovered astatine the location, arsenic good 2 compartment phones and Viagra pills.

Police had been hunting the mafia main for 3 decades erstwhile helium was caught connected Monday. He had made the assignment astatine the session nether a mendacious name.

The alias, Andrea Bonafede, aroused the suspicion of constabulary erstwhile they realised it was the sanction of deceased Mafia brag Leonardo Bonafede's nephew.

Phone-mapping showed the existent Bonafede's mobile was not successful Palermo successful 2020 and 2021 erstwhile a antheral utilizing the sanction had country successful the city.

During his clip astatine the apical of the Cosa Nostra organised transgression syndicate, Messina Denaro oversaw racketeering, amerciable discarded dumping, money-laundering and drug-trafficking.

He was convicted successful absentia successful 2002 of a drawstring of murders.

Details of however Messina Denaro lived earlier his apprehension person been starting to emerge.

He was surviving successful an unassuming location successful Campobello di Mazara, 116km (72 miles) from Palermo and conscionable 8km from his birthplace of Castelvetrano.

A neighbour told Italian TV helium often saw the antheral and that they would greet 1 different regularly.