Italy suspends pilot’s licence after mafia funeral

Italy’s civil aviation authority has suspended the licence of a helicopter pilot who flew low over Rome to drop flower petals during the over-the-top funeral of a purported local crime boss that has outraged city residents.

The funeral on Thursday of Vittorio Casamonica featured a gilded, horse-drawn carriage carrying the coffin, and a band playing the theme music from The Godfather outside the Rome church.

Civil aviation authority ENAC said in a statement it was suspending the licence of the pilot as a precaution, given that single-engine helicopters are prohibited from flying over the capital.