(ANSA) - Rome, November 25 - Crusading anti-mafia journalist
and author Roberto Saviano said Wednesday that organized crime
has been in business with Islamist fundamentalist groups, albeit
without knowing their ultimate objectives.
The mafias "are capable of understanding and relating to
economic flows and to speculate on them," the writer told Sky
TG24 news channel.
"The mediations for arms or drug deals never involve the
Islamist or the militant directly, but take place via
sub-Saharan, Maghrebin or Middle Eastern elements that deal
solely with drug trafficking," he explained.
"No single organization has been an accomplice - they were
doing business, without knowing the objective of the business".
Saviano went on to say that the November 13 Paris attacks
were carried out by a Belgian jihadi cell because a lot of
French capital is deposited in Belgium.
"Belgium is central to this story, because it is France's
safe," he said.
"Because of the presence of this money, Belgium has lowered
the defences of its financial system: it's easy to send money
there, and it's easy to send money that supports these groups".
"Belgium was chosen as the jihadist cradle of Europe, not
just because of the number of radicalized young Islamists, but
also because it's easy to send money there".
Saviano's non-fiction expose' of the Naples Camorra mafia,
Gomorrah, earned him mafia death threats and forced him to live
under state-provided armed protection ever since its publication
in 2006.
Mafia in business with jihadis - Saviano
Belgium the cradle of jihadism because of lower capital controls