Italy: Daughter of mafia killer speaks of 'pride'

The daughter of a mafia boss behind hundreds of murders has declared on TV that she's "proud" to bear his name.

Lucia Riina sparked outrage by telling Swiss interviewers she felt sorry for victims but arguing that people "don't need to live in the past". Her father Salvatore - nicknamed "The Beast" - headed Sicily's Cosa Nostra before his arrest in 1993. He's serving multiple life sentences in a maximum security prison. In her first TV interview, his daughter announced: "I'm honoured to be called this [Riina], and happy because it's my father's name."

Rome-based Il Tempo newspaper declared that Riina had "triggered an earthquake" with her remarks. And one victims' rights group told the daily Il Messaggero they'd threaten legal action if she thought about giving any more interviews. MEP Sonia Alfano, whose journalist father, Giuseppe, was murdered by the mafia in 1993, criticised Riina's "disgusting little show". She told Corriere della Sera: "She's the daughter of one of the cruellest Mafiosi in history and proud to be so. That, for me, says everything about her. But I would have expected more restraint from the media."