Monday, matteo messina denaro, a former boss of the powerful cosa nostra organised crime group, was arrested after attending a chemotherapy session at a private clinic in sicily. messina denaro had previously been found guilty of the 1992 killings of judges paolo falcone and giovanni borsellino. during his time at the top of the cosa nostra organised crime syndicate, he had overseen racketeering, illegal waste dumping, money-laundering and drug-trafficking.
Arrest occurred at the clinic in sicily, and police also discovered a second hideout used by messina denaro at the back of a wardrobe with a sliding base. this was in a house about 300m from the mafia boss’s first hideout in the sicilian town of campobello di mazara. at the first hideout, police found a 60sq m ground floor flat with luxury perfumes, expensive furniture and designer clothes.
Denaro made an appointment at the clinic under a false name, andrea bonafede. he was living in an unassuming house in campobello di mazara, 116km (72 miles) from palermo. car keys found in the bag he was carrying at the time of his arrest led investigators to the first location, and phone-mapping showed the real bonafede’s mobile was not in palermo in 2020 and 2021 when a man using the name had surgery in the city. neighbours reported seeing the man regularly and greeting one another. on thursday, messina denaro may appear via videolink at a hearing on the 1992 killings of judges paolo falcone and giovanni borsellino.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64319622?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
