President: Slovak govt ignored warnings on Italian mafia

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Slovak President Andrej Kiska says the country’s government ignored warnings from intelligence services about the activities of an Italian criminal syndicate whose members are suspected of possible involvement in the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee.

Kiska said Wednesday that the head of the spy agency known as SIS, Anton Safarik, told him some government ministers had been long been informed about the group.

Kiska gave no details. Seven Italians linked to the group were detained last week as suspects and later released.

In his last unfinished story, Jan Kuciak reported on the influence of the ‘ndrangheta syndicate in eastern Slovakia and its ties to people close to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Italian authorities said they had warned their Slovak counterparts about the group.