Italian police arrest 46 in big Mafia operation

Police raided houses and hideouts around the Sicilian capital yesterday and arrested 46 Mafiosi they said formed a web of protection around top Cosa Nostra boss Bernardo Provenzano, on the run for four decades.

The operation uncovered how Provenzano, 70 years old and known in his younger years as "Binu the tractor" because of the way he would mow down his opponents, has managed the run the crime group like a phantom who continues to evade arrest.

Investigators said those arrested during the night in Palermo and surrounding towns had protected Provenzano and helped him communicate with Mafia "soldiers" in the field by ferrying messages back and forth.

Provenzano, a native of the town of Corleone - made famous in The Godfather films - assumed control of the Mafia after the state scored major arrests against the mob in the early 1990, including that of top boss Salvatore "Toto" Riina in 1993.