Shot by two men outside his home in Naples after writing about organised crime and drug-trafficking in the city.
- Italy - Mafia
The mafia developed in mid 19th century rural Sicily as a rejection of the Italian government’s imposition of modern rule and a police force. It is based on feudal and clan-based relationships and mafia "families" operate property and drug rackets, with killings as necessary. They force businesses to pay protection money (pizzo) and often kill those who refuse. The mafia linked up with other criminal organisations after World War II and especially from the 1960s. Violence is the mafia’s signature and it increased from the 1980s as rivalry between the "families" grew. The Sicilian branch of the mafia is better known as the Cosa Nostra. Two other branches have emerged, the Camorra in Naples and the ’Ndrangheta in Calabria.
Aged 26.
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