12 April 2012
Police in Sicily have captured a man believed to be the Cosa Nostra's number two in a raid in Palermo.
Italian interior minister Roberto Maroni described convicted Mafioso Gianni Nicchi as a "young, dangerous, ambitious, pitiless killer".
Police found Nicchi, 28, hiding in an apartment in Palermo on Saturday.
News reports said he tried to flee th scene.
Investigators said Nicchi quickly climbed to the top of Palermo-based crime families after the arrest a few years ago of mob boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo.
Nicchi, a fugitive since 2006, was convicted last year of extortion and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The news agency ANSA said the bugged conversations of bosses convinced police Nicchi was one of the Mafia's top new bosses.
