Rome / Milan
CNN
–
Matteo Messina Denaro, one of the bosses of Cosa Nostra Mafia Police arrested in Sicily and Italy’s most wanted man while he was receiving treatment at a private health clinic in Palermo, prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia said on Monday.
De Lucia told CNN he had been on the run since 1993 and was considered one of Europe’s most wanted men by Europol.
The head of the Italian police, Lamberto Giannini, said in a statement that he congratulated the Carabinieri – Italy’s military police – and Palermo, the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Government officials took to Twitter to celebrate the arrest as a “victory” for Italy.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on Twitter: “A great victory for the country, showing that it does not give up in the face of the mafia.”
Defense Minister Guido Croceto called the arrest “a sign of the state’s victory over the mafia”.
Denaro was sentenced to life in prison in 1992 for his role in the murder of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, and is believed to be responsible for dozens of mafia-related murders.
Known as Diabolik, he is considered one of the successors to Bernardo Provenzano, who was arrested outside Corleone, Sicily, in April 2006.
He was arrested during a raid carried out by specialized agents with the anti-Mafia Carabinieri in the early hours of the morning.
The prosecutor said his suspected sighting in September 2021 led to a manhunt and hundreds of tip-offs.
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