12 suspects arrested in anti-mafia operation in southern Italy

Italian police on Tuesday arrested 12 alleged members of Camorra, a mafia syndicate based in Campania region, southern Italy, involved in violent fights between rival clans in the presence of citizens, local reports said.

Local Il Mattino newspaper said the 12 suspects were detained on charges of attempted murder and kidnapping as well as illegal possession of weapons, with mafia method as an aggravating circumstance.

Investigators used hidden cameras to record footage that showed four people riding two motor scooters shooting against a rival group on a street in the eastern part of Naples, the capital city of Campania.

There were some young pedestrians on the sidewalk, including a small kid, who run away while another gunman started shooting from a side road, Naples-based Il Mattino added.

In another footage sequence, suspects were exchanging firearms before opening fire against the buildings where the rival clan was living, in the presence of several frightened women and children.

According to ANSA news agency, the arrested belong to a clan called D'Amico engaged in a violent turf war with a rival clan named De Micco for control of illegal businesses in a working-class district of Naples.

Earlier this month, police carried out another major operation against Camorra, in which around 40 people were arrested and charged with crimes including mafia association, extortion and receiving stolen goods.

All those arrested were alleged members of the Casalesi, another powerful clan inside Camorra that is rooted in the small town of Casal di Principe, north of Naples.

Camorra along with 'Ndrangheta, based in Calabria region, and Cosa Nostra, based in Sicily island region, are the three most renowned mafia-type syndicates in Italy.

The criminal organizations in recent years have resulted from numerous investigations to have turned their hands to the legitimate economy in power and wealth centers of the country. Endit