Former Mafia boss of bosses
Salvatore 'Totò' Riina was acquitted Tuesday of ordering a
December 23, 1984 high-speed train bombing that killed 16 people
and wounded 267 in an Apennine tunnel between Florence and
Bologna.
The motive behind the attack was to distract Italian
security forces after the testimony of Cosa Nostra supergrass
Tommaso Buscetta to antimafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone had
led to a series of arrest warrants in September 1984 that
subsequently would lead to the Maxi Trial against 474 Mafia
defendants.
Mafia boss Giuseppe 'Pippo' Calò was convicted for ordering
and organising the so-called 'Christmas Attack' in February
1989.
In April 2011 Riina was indicted for ordering the bombing.
Riina, 84, was acquitted for insufficient evidence,
judicial sources said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
