Salvatore Riina

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Riina was born on 16 November 1930 and raised in a poverty-stricken countryside house in Corleone. In September 1943, his father Giovanni found an unexploded American bomb and attempted to open it to sell the powder and metal, but set it off, killing himself and Riina's seven-year-old brother Francesco, while injuring his other brother Gaetano. At age 19, Riina was sentenced to a 12-year prison sentence for having killed Domenico Di Matteo with a handgun in a fight; he was released in 1956. He later became a key gunman for Luciano Leggio, who took over the Corleone family after murdering boss Michele Navarra on 6 August 1958. Together with Riina, Calogero Bagarella and Bernardo Provenzano were the three gunmen in Navarra's slaying. Riina went into hiding in 1969 after being indicted on a further murder charge and remained a fugitive for the next 23 years. Riina succeeded Leggio as head of the Corleonesi in the mid-1970s after Leggio was captured and imprisoned on 16 May 1974. He achieved dominance through a campaign of violence, which caused police to target his rivals. In violation of established Mafia codes, Riina advocated the killing of women and children and killed innocent members of the public solely to distract law enforcement agencies. Hitman Giovanni Brusca estimated he murdered between 100 and 200 people on behalf of Riina. Riina's primary rivals were Stefano Bontade, Salvatore Inzerillo and Tano Badalamenti; their assassinations in 1981 instigated the Second Mafia War, which saw up to a thousand murders. By the end of the war, the Corleonesi were effectively ruling the Mafia. Riina was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in the 1986 Maxi Trial for Mafia association and multiple murders. After 23 years as a fugitive, he was captured in 1993, provoking a series of indiscriminate bombings of art galleries and churches by his organisation. He showed no repentance and was subjected to the stringent Article 41-bis prison regime until his death on 17 November 2017.

Reader's Guide

Riina's significance lies in his transformation of the Sicilian Mafia from a relatively discreet criminal network into a terrorist-style organization that openly challenged the Italian state. His scorched-earth policy—ordering the murders of judges, prosecutors, and police, as well as indiscriminate bombings such as the 23 December 1984 Train 904 bombing, known as the 'Christmas Massacre,' which killed 17 people and wounded 267—provoked unprecedented public outcry and legal reforms. The assassinations of Giovanni Falcone on 23 May 1992 and Paolo Borsellino on 19 July 1992 directly led to a major crackdown and the capture of many mafiosi. Riina's capture in 1993, after 23 years as a fugitive, triggered further violence but also marked the beginning of the end of the Corleonesi's absolute dominance. His legacy includes the Maxi Trial convictions, the use of pentiti (informants) like Tommaso Buscetta, and the implementation of strict prison regimes for unrepentant Mafia bosses. The article notes disputed allegations of political connections, including an alleged meeting with Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti in 1987, which appellate court judges rejected.

Did You Know?

• Riina's father Giovanni died in September 1943 trying to open an unexploded American bomb, also killing Riina's seven-year-old brother Francesco.
• At age 19, Riina was sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing Domenico Di Matteo with a handgun in a fight.
• Hitman Giovanni Brusca estimated he murdered between 100 and 200 people on behalf of Riina.
• The 23 December 1984 Train 904 bombing, ordered by Riina, killed 17 people and wounded 267; it was initially blamed on political extremists.
• Riina was a fugitive for 23 years before his capture in 1993.