The brother of Rosaria Costa,
the widow of a member of anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni
Falcone's security detail who was slain with the magistrate in
1992, has been arrested in Palermo over his alleged links to the
Arenella Cosa Nostra clan.
Giuseppe Costa, 53, officially a carpenter, was arrested on
Tuesday on charges that he operated for the Mafia clan,
collecting 'pizzo' - or protection money - on behalf of the
organization and assisting the relatives of detained operatives.
The man was arrested with alleged boss Gaetano Scotto as part
of an operation carried out by DDA anti-mafia investigators
against the clan.
Costa's sister Rosaria, who moved from Sicily to Tuscany
after her husband's death, is the widow of Vito Schifani.
Schifani was one of three policemen who worked as the
security detail of magistrate Giovanni Falcone and his wife
Francesca Morvillo who were all killed by Cosa Nostra in a bomb
attack on May 23, 1992.
The woman made headlines at the victims' funeral when she
demanded justice and directly addressed Mafia operatives saying
she was ready to forgive them if they "knelt down".
"I address the men of the Mafia, because they are here", she
told the gathering in Palermo's cathedral.
"You must know that there is a possibility of forgiveness for
you too - I forgive you, but you have to get down on your
knees".
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