Extra police have been sent to the region to tackle the mafia problem

A restaurant owner was shot dead in front of his terrified customers in Bacoli and another man was killed at Castellamare di Stabia on Sunday.

Both men were shot a number of times in the head.

More than 100 people have died in Mafia-related attacks in and around Naples this year, prompting extra police to be sent to the region.

Strikes

The Italian Interior Minister, Giuseppe Pisanu, visited Naples on Saturday and vowed to end the bloodbath and rid the region of the local Mafia, known as the Camorra.

"We wish to confront and liquidate the Camorra and we will use all the means at our disposal to do so," he said.

He said the forces of law and order "know very well what to do and where to strike".

In November, police arrested one of the suspected killers of 22-year-old Gelsomina Verde, whose burnt body was found inside a car. She is believed to have been killed because she was romantically involved with a leading member of the Camorra.

According to Italian Rai TV, the war was triggered by the creation of a splinter group from a once all-powerful clan, the Di Lauro family.

The splinter group, known as the "secessionists", has allegedly been trying to assert its control over drugs and prostitution rackets in the area.