Mafia Boss Arrested

Italian authorities announced yesterday the capture of mafia leader Matteo Messina Denaro, one of the most wanted criminals in the country. He had been evading arrest since 1993 and was apprehended in the city of Palermo while allegedly receiving medical treatment for cancer.

Messina Denaro is believed to be the head of the notorious Sicilian Cosa Nostra mafia. The 60-year-old was previously tried and sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in 2002 for his involvement in multiple terrorist attacks and murders in 1992 and 1993, including the killing of two anti-mafia prosecutors. He received another life sentence in 2012 for his role in the torture and murder of the 12-year-old son of a former mafia informant. Overall, he is believed to be responsible for the deaths of more than 50 people.

See background on Messina Denaro here and on a man leading the fight against the Italian mafia here.