Interior Minister and Deputy
Premier Matteo Salvini hit back Tuesday after Turin Chief
Prosecutor Armando Spataro said that a tweet about the arrest of
alleged members of a Nigerian mafia gang in the northern city
had risked compromising the operation.
In a press release, Spataro said Salvini's announcement on
social media about the detention of "15 Nigerian mafiosi" had
risked "damaging the positive outcome of an operation that was
still taking place".
Spataro said that "it is to be hoped that in the future the
interior minister avoids similar communications" or finds out
beforehand the time of the operation "in order to avoid the risk
of damaging ongoing investigations".
League party leader Salvini said Spataro's intervention was
"unacceptable" and he "should retire".
Salvini said he had been informed of the operation by Italy's
chief of police at 07:22 in the morning and had felt "free and
honoured to thank and compliment the forces of law and order".
He said the police had confirmed to him that the operation
was over, and had a message to prove it.
Salvini added that his critics should run for office if they
don't like the way he does things.
"I'm fed up of offences, insults, threats and attacks on a
daily basis," Salvini said, announcing he would go live on
Facebook later on Tuesday to defend his record.
"I have been interior minister for six months and I think I'm
doing a good job, looking at the results.
"If someone doesn't like it, they should stand in the next
elections, but for the moment let us work in peace".
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