Italy's Top Mafia Boss Matteo Messina Denaro Arrested

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Facts

  • On Monday, Matteo Messina Denaro, Italy's most wanted mafia boss, was arrested in Sicily after evading capture for 30 years. The alleged leader of the Cosa Nostra mafia was reportedly captured at a private clinic in Palermo where he was set to receive cancer treatment.
  • Messina Denaro, also known as "Diabolik," was sentenced in absentia to life in prison in 1992 for his role in the murders of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, both of whom were anti-mafia prosecutors.
  • He also faces charges for his role in the 1993 bombings in Florence, Rome, and Milan and the kidnapping of Giuseppe Di Matteo, a 12-year-old boy used as a pawn to dissuade his father from testifying against the mafia. Giuseppe Di Matteo was held for two years before being murdered.
  • During the decades-long manhunt, authorities struggled to capture Messina Denaro because of a lack of up-to-date photos. The investigators developed digitally reconstructed images and used intelligence from former mafia members turned informants.
  • He was the last of three fugitive top-level mafia bosses to be captured, with police focusing on him after it had arrested "boss of bosses" Salvatore "Toto" Riina in 1993 and Bernardo Provenzano in 2006, who respectively spent 23 and 38 years on the run.
  • Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Sicily to congratulate the police and the prosecutors on the takedown of what her office described as the "most significant representative of mafia syndicates," marking a "great victory for the state that shows it never gives up in the face of the mafia."

Sources: BBC News, CNN, Reuters, Guardian, Sky, and New York Times.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Guardian. Even after 30 years of evading capture, Matteo Messina Denaro still has a healthy following of devoted fans. To his cohort of followers, he is a Robin Hood who works for the poor and corrects mistakes. In his eyes, he is a philosopher and even a folk hero. As one of the world's most wanted men, he continued to live lavishly and serve his "family." He carried no shame and no remorse for his actions, in fact, he continued the family business while in hiding. This arrest is the first step towards justice for his victims.
  • Narrative B, as provided by The Washington Post. This arrest is a turning point in Italy's decades-long battle against organized crime as the alleged Cosa Nostra crime syndicate chief Messina Denaro had been on the country's most wanted list since the early 1990s. Myths about his ability to dodge authorities and theories that he was receiving protection from state officials had emerged during his 30 years of evading capture. Hopefully, it will not take another 30 years to bring the next Mafia leader to justice.
  • Narrative C, as provided by CBS. Yes, Messina Denaro was arrested but the Italian law is not up to snuff in holding mafia members accountable for their violent and heinous crimes. Despite protests across the political divide, Cosa Nostra's key operator Giovanni Brusca has been on a four-year probation after serving a 25-year sentence for his role in attacks including the one that killed anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone and the murder of Di Matteo, while the truth about these crimes remains unknown. The law seems to be working against the victims.