Matteo Messina Denaro - How authorities arrest Italian mafioso

Authorities don arrest Italy most-wanted mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro for Sicily afta 30 years wey im dey on di run.

Report say dem detain Matteo Messina Denaro for one private medical clinic for Sicily capital, Palermo, where e bin dey receive treatment for cancer.

Matteo Messina Denaro dey alleged to be di boss of di notorious Cosa Nostra mafia.

Court bin try and and sentence Messina Denaro to life in jail in absentia for 2002 ova numerous murders.

More than 100 members of di armed forces dey involve for im arrest.

Italian media report say dem capture Messina Denaro just before 10:00 (09:00 GMT) and take am to one secret location by di Carabinieri.

Report say Messina Denaro bin visit di clinic under fake name for a course of chemotherapy.

One video wey Italian media circulate show pipo wey stand for street and dey clap for di Italian police as dem dey lead Messina Denaro away.

Among di murders wey court convict am for na;

Di mafia boss also oversee di racketeering, illegal waste dumping, money-laundering and drug-trafficking for di powerful Cosa Nostra organised crime syndicate.

Report say e be di disciple of Totò Riina, wey be di head of di Corleone clan, wey dem arrest for 1993 afta 23 years on di run.

Clans nickname Messina Denaro as "Diabolik" - di name of one uncatchable thief for one comic book series - and "U Siccu" (Skinny).

Pipo believe say im be Cosa Nostra last "secret-keeper".

Many informers and prosecutors believe say im hold all di information and di names of who dey involve for several of di most high-profile crimes by di Mafia, including di bomb attacks wey kill magistrates Falcone and Borsellino.

Although Messina Denaro don dey on di run since 1993, plenti pipo believe say e still dey issue orders to im subordinates from various secret locations.

Ova di years, Italian investigators dey often come close to catch Messina Denaro by monitoring those wey dey close to am.

Dis result to di arrest of im sister Patrizia and several odas of im associates for 2013.

Police also seize valuable businesses wey dey link to Messina Denaro, and dis make am dey more lonely.

However, few fotos of Messina Denaro exist and police gatz to rely on digital composites to reconstruct im appearance ova di years afta e go into hiding.

Dem no release one recording of im voice until 2021.

For September 2021, dem arrest one Formula 1 fan from Liverpool at gunpoint for one restaurant for di Netherlands afta dem mistake am for Messina Denaro.

Italians dey glued to di screens on Monday morning wen news of di arrest of di mafia boss break.

For years, Messina Denaro don be symbol of di state inability to reach di upper rank of di organised crime syndicates.

Im arrest go be unexpected sign of hope say dem fit wipe out di mafia even for di southern regions of di kontri, where dem view di state as absent and ineffective.

University of Essex criminology professor Anna Sergi tell di BBC say Messina Denaro arrest dey "symbolic not just because e be di boss of Cosa Nostra, but because e represent di last run away wey dey wanted list of di Italian state.

"Dat na why we see pipo dey clap Palermo and why di state dey celebrate - because di news feels like closure."

However, questions dey likely to surface ova di timing of di arrest.

"E no dey clear yet how di Monday morning raid on di clinic come about, who tip off di authorities or how e dey possible for Messina Denaro to run around Sicily for 30 years," Prof Sergi tok.

"We now know say dem dey cure Messina Denaro for cancer so e dey sick. Dat na why pipo dey tok say someone within di crime world decide e no longer dey useful.

Dis mean say e dey likely still part of structure where exchange of favours dey between di mafia and state, and where dem fit give pesin up in return for something," e add.

Afta di arrest, plenti tributes don dey pour out from across di political group to praise di work of di armed forces across the political spectrum.

Gian Carlo Caselli, one judge and former prosecutor general, tok say di arrest of Messina Denaro na "exceptional... simply historical event" wey fit lead to big developments foir di ongoing inquiries into di 1993 bomb attacks wey kill 10 pipo across Italy.

Italy president, Sergio Mattarella, wey di Cosa Nostra kill im brother Piersanti for 1980, congratulate di minister of di interior and di Carabinieri.

Italy PM Giorgia Meloni also thank di armed forces for dia work in detaining di "most important member of di mafia criminal group", adding say: "Dis na great victory for di state.