Giovanni Strangio
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Giovanni Strangio (b. January 3, 1979 in Siderno, Italy) is a member of the 'Ndrangheta from Siderno in Calabria. He is a fugitive since 2007 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy as well as in Germany.[1]
Strangio is wanted for the Duisburg massacre on August 15, 2007, which made headlines worldwide.[2] He was one of two triggermen that killed six men in front of restaurant Da Bruno near the main railway station. More than 70 shots were fired. The carnage was part of a long-standing feud between two 'Ndrangheta clans from San Luca in Calabria, the Pelle-Vottari-Romeo and Strangio-Nirta clan.[3][4]
He belongs to the Strangio-Nirta clan and is a relative of Maria Strangio, the wife of Giovanni Luca Nirta, who was killed on December 25, 2006, in an attempt to kill her husband. The killing revived the lingering San Luca feud that started in 1991. Strangio was arrested at the funeral of Maria Strangio where he appeared with a gun, presumably to kill members of the Pelle-Romeo clan. He was apprehended after short fire fight in which he was slightly wounded.[5] He was arrested and released in July 2007.[4]
Strangio returned to Germany where he ran "Tonis Pizza" in Kaarst in North Rhine-Westphalia.[6] From his adopted hometown, Strangio prepared the attack against the rival clan among who was Marco Marmo – the chief suspect in the murder of Maria Strangio – who was killed in the bloodbath.[3] Strangio quickly became a suspect. His apartment in Kaarst was searched and he appeared to have left it in a hurry, leaving a large amount of money behind.[6]
On December 18, 2007, four suspects in the Duisburg massacre were arrested, but Giovanni Strangio remains a fugitive.[7] The second triggerman is believed to be Strangio’s brother-in-law Giuseppe Nirta, also wanted for international cocaine trafficking.[8][9]
Strangio is not be confused with his namesake Giovanni Strangio, the owner of the Da Bruno restaurant, who – despite his family name – belongs to the rival Pelle-Vottari-Romeo clan. He was arrested on August 30, 2007, in San Luca. His brother Sebastiano Strangio was one of the victims of the massacre in Duisburg.[10][11]
[edit] References
- ^ (German) Meistgesuchte Personen, Bundeskriminalambt
- ^ A Deadly Mafia Export from Italy, Der Spiegel, August 15, 2007
- ^ a b (German) Haftbefehl gegen Giovanni Strangio erlassen, Der Spiegel, August 31, 2007
- ^ a b (Italian) Strage Duisburg, la polizia tedesca accusa "Giovanni Strangio tra i responsabili", La Repubblica, August 31, 2007
- ^ (Italian) San Luca, sparatoria ai funerali, La Repubblica, December 28, 2006
- ^ a b (German) Die Spur führt nach Kaarst, Stern, September 1, 2007
- ^ Arrests show reach of "European mafia", The Seattle Times, December 19, 2007
- ^ (German) Ermittler haben zweiten Killer im Visier, Der Spiegel, March 3, 2008
- ^ (Italian) Duisburg, individuato l'altro killer, La Repubblica, March 1, 2008
- ^ (Italian) I due Giovanni Strangio: San Luca-Duisburg a mano armata, Panorama blog, August 31, 2007
- ^ Italian police crack down on 'ndrangheta, USA Today, August 30, 2007
