Brother of Mafia boss arrested

Italian police have arrested the brother of the Sicilian Mafia's one-time top boss in another blow to Cosa Nostra on the island.

Carabinieri police said in a statement today that Gaetano Riina was one of four people arrested on charges of mafia association and extortion.

Riina took over as head of the Corleone clan following the 1993 arrest of his brother, "boss of bosses" Salvatore "Toto" Riina.

In recent years, several top Mafia bosses have been arrested, seriously weakening the Sicilian mob, while other crime syndicates on the Italian mainland have grown stronger, including the Camorra in the Naples area and the 'ndrangheta in southern Calabria.

Police said the three-year investigation showed how powerful Corleone remained, despite the arrest of top bosses.