Amoroso was arrested Monday in Biebesheim, a 7,000-resident Rhine river town, relatively close to Frankfurt Airport and Darmstadt city in Germany's central state of Hesse, German and Italian media disclosed Wednesday.

The Hague-based Europol said his arrest was the result of a "fruitful exchange of information" with Italian and German police and was the first such capture via "Eurosearch," its project to locate dangerous mafia fugitives in Europe.

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Within Sicily's Cosa Nostra, Amoroso belonged to the Scalisi clan with family links in Catania, Europol said.

He had been wanted on a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) for mafia activities.

Police in Sicily's second-largest city, Catania, said the 37-year-old was wanted on multiple charges, including extortion, possessing weapons and robbery, and had escaped arrest during a Sicilian sweep of Mafia suspects on 11 July 2017.

Italian media outlet Yvii24 said Amoroso was a"high"-ranked suspect.

Last month, Italian authorities arrested 21 members of the entourage of the Sicilian mafia fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro, who went into hiding in 1993.

To evade electronic surveillance by authorities, Denaro reputedly used small pieces of paper called "pizzini."

ipj/kms (dpa, AP)