Topline
Italy’s most wanted Mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, has died of cancer, authorities announced on Monday, eight months after his dramatic arrest after being on the run for three decades.
Italian mafia leader Matteo Messina Denaro, one of the most wanted mafia bosses, is seen after he ... [+]
Key Facts
Denaro, who in recent weeks had been hospitalized and treated for colon cancer, fell into a coma on Friday and never recovered, Reuters reported.
The 61-year-old Mafia boss had been arrested in Palermo in January while receiving treatment for his condition at a health facility in the city.
At the time of his arrest, Denaro reportedly mocked the police that he was only captured because of his illness, according to Italian daily Corriere della Sera .
Denaro was being held in L'Aquila District Prison, Italy’s largest supermax prison facility, before he was taken to hospital.
The crime boss’ body is expected to be returned to Sicily, the home of the notorious Cosa Nostra, but his funeral will “strictly” remain private, the Reuters report added.
Crucial Quote
Nicola Di Matteo, the brother of Giuseppe Di Matteo—the 12-year-old child of a former mafia member turned informant who was kidnapped, strangled and dissolved in acid on Denaro’s orders—told the Italian media: “I still have to process the news. He carries so many secrets with him. I was sure he would not cooperate [with the authorities].” But Di Matteo added that “forgiveness is impossible.”
Key Background
Denaro was one of most notorious leaders of organized crime in Italy and had been dubbed as “The Last Godfather” by the Italian press after evaded police capture for around 30 years. In 2002, the crime boss was sentenced to life in prison in absentia by an Italian court for his role in several terror attacks and murders in 1992 and 1993. The most high profile of the murders includes the killing of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino—two prosecutors who were known for going after the mafia. Denaro was also convicted of ordering multiple bombings in the cities of Milan, Florence and Rome in 1993, which caused at least 10 deaths. Denaro was handed an additional life sentence in 2012 for killing the 12-year-old Di Matteo in 1993. After his arrest in January, Denaro denied his involvement in the murder of the child.
Further Reading
Matteo Messina Denaro, the boss of Cosa Nostra, has died, he was 61 years old (Corriere della Sera)
Italy’s Most Wanted Mafia Boss Arrested After 30 Years On The Run (Forbes)
