Mafia 'unwittingly' in business with jihadis says Saviano

(ANSA) - Rome, November 25 - Crusading anti-mafia journalist and author Roberto Saviano said Wednesday that organized crime has been in business with Islamist fundamentalist groups, albeit without knowing their ultimate objectives.
    The mafias "are capable of understanding and relating to economic flows and to speculate on them," the writer told Sky TG24 news channel. "The mediations for arms or drug deals never involve the Islamist or the militant directly, but take place via sub-Saharan, Maghrebin or Middle Eastern elements that deal solely with drug trafficking," he explained.
    "No single organization has been an accomplice - they were doing business, without knowing the objective of the business".
    Saviano went on to say that the November 13 Paris attacks were carried out by a Belgian jihadi cell because a lot of French capital is deposited in Belgium.
    "Belgium is central to this story, because it is France's safe," he said. "Because of the presence of this money, Belgium has lowered the defences of its financial system: it's easy to send money there, and it's easy to send money that supports these groups".
    "Belgium was chosen as the jihadist cradle of Europe, not just because of the number of radicalized young Islamists, but also because it's easy to send money there".
    Saviano's non-fiction expose' of the Naples Camorra mafia, Gomorrah, earned him mafia death threats and forced him to live under state-provided armed protection ever since its publication in 2006.