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| Italy arrests 'senior Mafia boss' | Italy arrests 'senior Mafia boss' |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Italian police have arrested the reputed new boss of the Sicilian Mafia. | Italian police have arrested the reputed new boss of the Sicilian Mafia. |
| Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who had been at large for 20 years, was apprehended along with his son and two other men near the Sicilian capital, Palermo. | Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who had been at large for 20 years, was apprehended along with his son and two other men near the Sicilian capital, Palermo. |
| All four men were among Italy's top 30 most wanted Mafia suspects, police officials said. | All four men were among Italy's top 30 most wanted Mafia suspects, police officials said. |
| Mr Lo Piccolo, 65, is believed to have succeeded the Cosa Nostra Mafia's "boss of bosses", Bernardo Provenzano, after he was arrested last year. | Mr Lo Piccolo, 65, is believed to have succeeded the Cosa Nostra Mafia's "boss of bosses", Bernardo Provenzano, after he was arrested last year. |
| Officials say those arrested were Mafia chiefs who exercise immense power over the territory they control. | Officials say those arrested were Mafia chiefs who exercise immense power over the territory they control. |
| This is an important arrest and an important day Leoluca Orlando,ex-mayor of Palermo class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/7078954.stm">Breaking the Mafia | |
| Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi hailed the arrests as "a success for the state... and all honest citizens." | |
| The head of the Italian parliament's anti-Mafia committee, Francesco Forgione, alleged that the Lo Piccolos were linked to US crime syndicates. | |
| "The Lo Piccolos were two bosses involved in restructuring the Mafia after the arrest of Provenzano and are go-betweens with the American Mafia," AFP news agency quoted Mr Forgione as saying. | |
| Leoluca Orlando, the former mayor of Palermo and a Mafia expert who tried to tackle the problem when in office, told the BBC News website: "This is an important arrest and an important day. | |
| "Since the arrest of Bernardo Provenzano, the boss of bosses of the so-called Corleonesi Mafia, Salvatore Lo Piccolo was considered the new boss." | |
| Bodyguard | |
| Mr Provenzano, who led the Cosa Nostra from the early 1990s, was arrested in April 2006 after being on the run for more than 40 years. | Mr Provenzano, who led the Cosa Nostra from the early 1990s, was arrested in April 2006 after being on the run for more than 40 years. |
| Bernardo Provenzano is held in a high security jail | |
| He is being held in isolation at a high security jail in Terni, central Italy. | He is being held in isolation at a high security jail in Terni, central Italy. |
| Mr Lo Piccolo allegedly began as a bodyguard for a Sicilian gangster and worked his way up through the organisation. | Mr Lo Piccolo allegedly began as a bodyguard for a Sicilian gangster and worked his way up through the organisation. |
| After Mr Provenzano's arrest, Mr Lo Piccolo was believed to be among his most likely successors, along with Antonino Rotolo and Matteo Messina Denaro. | After Mr Provenzano's arrest, Mr Lo Piccolo was believed to be among his most likely successors, along with Antonino Rotolo and Matteo Messina Denaro. |
| Mr Rotolo was arrested in June 2006. Mr Denaro remains at large. | Mr Rotolo was arrested in June 2006. Mr Denaro remains at large. |
| Mr Piccolo's arrest came on the day that Palermo held a day of memory for all victims of the Mafia. | Mr Piccolo's arrest came on the day that Palermo held a day of memory for all victims of the Mafia. |