February 11, 2009 4:23 PM

Italian Crime Clan Kills 6 In Germany

(AP)  Six Italian men were fatally shot Wednesday in an execution-style killing that officials said appeared to be part of a long feud between two Italian organized crime clans.

The six victims were discovered before dawn with gunshot wounds to the head inside two vehicles near the western German city of Duisburg's main train station. One of the men died while being taken to a hospital, police spokesman Hermann-Josef Helmich said.

Helmich said the men were Italians between the ages of 16 and 39 but gave no other information on their identities.

In Rome, Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said the slayings apparently were part of a feud between two rival clans involved in the 'ndrangheta crime syndicate, a group similar to the Sicilian Mafia but based in Italy's southern Calabria region, and believed to be involved in drug and arms trafficking, extortion and other crimes.

The shootings were "an unprecedented settling of scores, also because it took place in a foreign country for the first time," Italy's ANSA news agency quoted the deputy head of the Regio Calabria police, Luigi De Sena, as saying.

Duisburg police said there had not previously been Italian organized crime activity in the city, located at the western end of the Ruhr industrial region.

"The presence of Calabrians in Germany is very strong, but until now they always kept a low profile, trying not to attract attention," De Sena said.

Duisburg police spokesman Reinhard Pape said stopped a police patrol car that happened to be in the area about 2 a.m. and reported hearing a bang, followed by a noise like fireworks.

About a half-hour later, police officers found the two vehicles, both of them German-registered.

The victims appear to have been unarmed. Numerous gun cartridges were found at the crime scene — about 100 yards from the train station, and close to an Italian restaurant.

"There must have been more than one person involved," Pape said.

Interpol said it had sent investigators from Rome to Duisburg to help with the probe.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
  • Tucker Reals

    Tucker Reals is a senior news editor and overnight site editor for CBSNews.com, based at CBS News' London bureau.

Add a Comment
by eggy1620 August 15, 2007 2:38 PM EDT
Oakishpines, Stick to posting on the obscure weird poetry journals. No room for your backasswords postings here.
Reply to this comment
by mihirdjin August 15, 2007 1:42 PM EDT
Un-needed sarcasm, MityWhity
Btw, I read Calabrians, not Italians.
And if you think this proves "Italians" are prone to violence, I'd like to remind you who's the global sheriff causing hundreds of casualties every day...
hint: it's not Italy.
Reply to this comment
by oakishpines August 15, 2007 1:32 PM EDT


you're either talking to the people
that blow up space shuttle
because someone told them to

or the prople that blow up space shuttles
because the just want to

or the people that blow up people
that blow up space shuttles
because someone told them to

or the people that blow up people
that blow up space shuttles
because they just want to

or you're talking to the people
that don't blow up anything:
the people that, most of the time,
dance get well feed world songs
rallied around the sick beds
drifiting the tems millions spore bloom
weed dragon trail fickle first aid
lunch farm cottage studiio trails


it's self-explanatory, the market share

with 300 different folk
on each of the 300 county
trail group front pages

each army occupys a tiny measure

and the get well feed world folk
occupy an unlimited measure


there may be a
get sick tax world group
at every trail crossing

but the trails are occupied
by the get well feed world folk
that do who they want to

(that was a joke,
i've almost never seen
a porno get sick tax world group
at a trail crossing,
who would do that?)


Reply to this comment
by mitywhity August 15, 2007 1:10 PM EDT
What?!? You mean Italians are prone to violence?
Reply to this comment
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