Sep 06 2007
German police expect revenge attack after Duisburg mafia killings
Dusseldorf, Germany - German officials said Thursday they anticipated a revenge attack following the murder in Duisburg last month of six men linked to the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta organized crime group.
Following a special sitting of the internal affairs commission of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in nearby Dusseldorf, officials predicted that a Catholic religious holiday might be chosen, as mafia families regularly gathered on such days.
The officials said that, while it was possible a revenge attack could take place in Germany, it was more likely that it would be carried out in Italy.
Six men were shot and killed execution-style in the early hours of August 15, the bodies being found in two cars outside a pizzeria near Duisburg’s main railway station.
Police believe the murders were in revenge for the killing of the wife of a leader of the ‘Ndrangheta, which is active in Calabria in southern Italy.
German police have applied for an international arrest warrant for pizzeria operator Giovanni Strangio, 28, suspected of being a member of the Strangio-Nirta clan within the ‘Ndrangheta.
The victims of the Duisburg shootings were all members of the rival Pelle-Romeo clan within the same organization.
German police expect revenge attack after Duisburg mafia killings - dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur - Sep 6, 2007, 13:02 GMT - http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1352572.php/German_police_expect_revenge_attack_after_Duisburg_mafia_killings
