On Monday, Italy’s most wanted fugitive, a Mafia boss convicted of being an architect behind some of the country’s most gruesome killings was seized by police in Sicily when he visited a private hospital for medical treatment. This came after thirty years on the run.
Matteo Messina Denaro was tried and convicted in absentia for dozens of murders, including the 1992 bombing conspiracy led by other Cosa Nostra bosses, which tragically killed two top anti-Mafia prosecutors.
Subsequently, this crime sparked a heightened response from Italy against Sicilian criminal activity. With multiple life sentences awaiting him at a maximum security prison under especially stringent conditions specifically designed for powerful organized crime figures, Denaro’s future is grimly clear.
At only a young age, he disappeared from sight just one year after the bombings and was still considered by Cosa Nostra as one of their supreme bosses. In the following years hundreds of police officers attempted to locate him, being the last out of three Mafia leaders who managed to stay hidden for many decades.
Now 60 years old, his medical state enabled law enforcement to hone in on him as the suspect; Gen. Pasquale Angelosanto, commander of Carabinieri’s special operations squad attested this fact.
Authorities withheld his medical diagnosis, but he was taken into custody at La Maddalena clinic in Palermo, a renowned healthcare center known for treating cancer patients. Italian media reported that he had been receiving treatment there over the course of one year.
At a press conference that evening, police officials announced that Messina Denaro would receive specialized treatment at an in-hospital prison ward. Examining authorities reported that he was unarmed, and inconspicuously dressed like a regular clinic visitor – aside from his high-end watch worth at least 30,000 euros (approximately $33,000).
On a dreary day, two Carabinieri officers marched Messina Denaro down the clinic steps to an awaiting black van. His leather jacket, shearling trim, and tinted glasses gave away his identity. Looking pale and expressionless, he kept his gaze fixed forward as they each held him by an arm.
As the sun radiated through the sky, a magnificent rainbow illuminated the clinic shortly after his arrest. Dozens of policemen in ski masks hurriedly descended on the clinic. Locals knew something monumental was about to go down. And when Messina Denaro emerged from the building, spontaneous shouts and clapping echoed through the streets.
Maurizio De Lucia, Palermo’s Chief Prosecutor, announced to the press that the wanted fugitive employed the pseudonym of Andrea Bonafede. Furthermore, he had a valid Italian identity card by this name. “Bonafede” is an Italian term roughly translated to mean “good faith”. It was used for booking an appointment at the clinic in the early morning hours.
The individual was also responsible for the assassinations of prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. However, he was also held accountable for the murder of Falcone’s wife, their bodyguards, and a Mafia informant’s child. The small boy had been abducted before he met his cruel demise – strangled to death and then dissolved in acid.
He was among the Mafia chiefs who were found guilty of organizing a bombing series in 1993. The incident resulted in fatalities and harm to the Uffizi Galleries located in Florence. However, two major churches are located in Rome, and an art gallery is situated in Milan.
Prosecutor De Lucia declared that they had caught the last of the perpetrators behind the Mafia-related killings in 1992 and 1993. He added, “This was a debt owed to all of those who were affected by these events.”
Giorgia Meloni tweet on the arrest
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, tweeted in celebration of the capture of Messina Denaro.He referred to it as a “great victory for the state that demonstrates its unwillingness to give up against organized crime.”
On Monday, the mafia’s “boss of bosses” Salvatore “Toto” Riina was apprehended in Palermo after 30 years and one day – January 15th 1993 to be precise. Following suit, his accomplice Messina Denaro went on the lam that summer.
The capture of Matteo Messina Denaro marks an important step toward justice. However, it gives assurance of a better life for all those who are affected by his criminal activities. Hopefully, this will restore some peace to those whose lives he has impacted.
Conclusion
Overall, Messina Denaro’s arrest is a striking feat for Italy in its fight against organized crime. It also proves that no one is above the law.
It’s a major achievement in the country’s fight to maintain public safety and security. And this latest arrest, perhaps it’s a sign that Italy is turning the tide against organized crime.
