Italian police have arrested a top Sicilian mafia boss who was a fugitive for 15 years.

Domenico Raccuglia, the number two man of Sicily's Cosa Nostra Mafia, and one of Italy's 30 most dangerous and wanted fugitives, was arrested on Sunday trying to escape from his apartment balcony in Sicily's Trapani region, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said.

Maroni stated that the arrest dealt a major blow to the crime syndicate.

Raccuglia, 45, has been sentenced separately to three life terms in prison. He has been convicted of five murders and was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the killing of the teenage son of a mafia turncoat.

The 14-year-old boy was kidnapped in 1993 and kept hostage for more than two years before being killed. His body was then dumped in acid.

Raccuglia, who was the Cosa Nostra's number two man, was considered a potential contender to become the new boss of the Mafia in Palermo.

FTP/SS/HGL