Italian mayor quits after mafia threats

A southern Italian mayor who opposes the building of a bridge between Sicily and the mainland has resigned after a campaign of intimidation blamed on local mobsters.

Rocco Cassone, the civic chief in Villa San Giovanni, has had his car set on fire twice. Last month he received a death threat in the form of a letter containing bullets.

He said in a statement: "The conditions do not exist with which to guarantee normal administrative activity."