Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro laid to rest with only close family members in attendance

The infamous Italian mafia figure Matteo Messina Denaro, who spent three decades evading capture, was laid to rest on Wednesday (Sept 27), in his hometown with only his close family members allowed to bid farewell, said local media reports.

The Italian police arrested the country’s most-wanted mafia boss in the Sicilian capital, Palermo, in January this year. At the age of 61, Messina Denaro was grappling with cancer when he was apprehended in January. His health deteriorated in recent weeks, leading to his transfer from a maximum-security prison in central Italy to a hospital. He passed away on Monday (Sept 25).

Late on Tuesday, his coffin was driven in a hearse from the hospital and arrived in his hometown of Castelvetrano in Sicily in the early hours of Wednesday, as per media reports.

A handful of his family members were present at his burial which included his two sisters, a brother and his daughter, who was born during his fugitive years.

A group of mourners walked behind the hearse with one of his sisters carrying a bouquet of yellow roses.

Denaro was buried in the family tomb, according to the Palermo Today Daily. There was no religious service.

Convicted of heinous crimes

Denaro was convicted of numerous crimes, including his involvement in the planning of the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. It was part of a series of crimes that sent shockwaves across Italy and prompted a crackdown on the Sicilian mafia.

He was also held responsible for bombings in Rome, Florence, and Milan in 1993 that claimed 10 lives, in addition to orchestrating the kidnapping of 12-year-old Giuseppe Di Matteo to dissuade the boy's father from testifying against the mafia. Tragically, the young boy was held captive for two years before being murdered.

Referred to by the Italian press as "the last Godfather," Messina Denaro was captured outside a private health clinic in Palermo, Sicily, on January 16. Leaked medical records revealed that he had undergone surgery for colon cancer in 2020 and 2022 under a fake name.

(With inputs from agencies)

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