The notorious mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro (60) has been on the run since 1993. Now he has been caught.
The case is updated!
“As one of the top bosses in the mafia conspiracy Cosa Nostra, he has committed several serious and brutal murders,” writes Europol in the search warrant.
Denaro was arrested when he received treatment at a private hospital in Palermo, Sicily, writes the news agency Reuters and refers to a statement from the Italian military police Carabinieri.
At 09.35 he was taken into a black military car, according to the report The Republic.
The last time Denaro was seen in 1993, he was driving his Porsche in the direction of the town of Selinunte – with a Foulard scarf around his neck, Versace trousers and a Rolex Daytona around his wrist.
Matteo Messina Denaro (60) has since sunk into the earth.
READ ALSO: This is how Italy’s most wanted man rules Sicily with an iron fist (from 2010)
Sentenced to life
Denaro was sentenced to life in prison, without being present in the courtroom, for being involved in the murders in 1992 of judge Paolo Borsellino and his colleague Giovanni Falcone, writes Reuters.
He has also been sentenced to life for his involvement in the bombings in Florence, Rome and Milan, which allegedly killed 10 people, in subsequent years.
Despite his many years of disappearance, the police believe that Denaro has still been able to give orders related to the way the mafia in Sicily has been run.
– A win for everyone
The arrest is causing a stir in Italy. The country’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanks the police for their efforts:
– It is a big victory for the state which shows that it is not giving up in the meeting with the mafia. In the wake of the anniversary of Totò Riina’s arrest, another organized crime leader, Matteo Messina Denaro, is on trial.
– The arrest of Matteo Messina Denaro is a victory for everyone. (…) Now comes the moment of justice and truth, writes Salvatore De Meo in the EU Parliament Twitter.
Senator Matteo Renzi from Florence writes that this should be a “day of celebration” for the whole country:
– Today is a lucky day. Good job, everyone. Long live Italy, he writes.
