Salvini hits back after Turin prosecutor tweet reprimand

(ANSA) - Turin, December 4 - 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".