Attack on Sigfrido Ranucci: Defendants Break Their Silence
Defense attorneys request interrogations—and at Rai, names are being bandied about regarding the future of „Report“
Rome – In the trial concerning the bomb attack on RAI journalist Sigfrido Ranucci, the four alleged perpetrators no longer intend to remain silent. Their defense attorneys, Generoso Pagliarulo and Antonio Falconieri, have announced that they will request hearings before the investigating judges. Until now, the defendants had exercised their right to remain silent and limited themselves to brief, spontaneous statements.
The change in course was triggered by the arrest of Valter Lavitola. The businessman and former newspaper publisher was arrested on August 10 and is being held at Rebibbia Prison in Rome. Two days later, during an interrogation lasting more than five hours, he admitted to ordering the attack—though with an unusual caveat: he had requested four or five shots fired at the building’s wall, not a bomb. His defense attorney, Sergio Cola, portrayed the act as a service to the victim, stating that the goal had been to increase the victim’s personal security detail from two to eight officers.
The investigating judge was not convinced. He described the accounts as vague and entirely unspecific, noted contradictions, and rejected the request for house arrest—citing the risk of flight, repeat offenses, and tampering with evidence. The Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office assumes a different motive: the attack was intended to make Ranucci popular and propel him into politics, from which Lavitola himself could have benefited. All defendants are presumed innocent.
It is precisely this version that shifts the blame onto those alleged to have planted the explosive device. Antonio Passariello, Saverio Mutone, and Pellegrino D’Avino have been in custody since the end of June, while Marica De Filippis is under house arrest. Wiretapped conversations from Rebibbia reveal that the group believed the investigators were well-informed and were surprised that the alleged mastermind was still at large at the time. The men are said to have been recruited by Clesio Tavares Gomes, a confidant of Lavitola’s, who is currently in Africa and announced in a television interview that he would soon return to Italy.
The attack took place on the night of October 16, 2025, outside Ranucci’s home in Pomezia, south of Rome. The explosion destroyed two parked cars and damaged the gate; no one was injured. The TV host has been under personal protection since 2021. His attorney, Roberto De Vita, called Lavitola’s reasoning simply delusional and pointed out that Ranucci had long been under protection and was internationally known.
At the same time, a second conflict is simmering. Rai’s Ethics Committee has submitted its report on Ranucci to Director General Giampaolo Rossi. The report is advisory in nature; the final decision rests with top management. The review examined possible violations of the code of conduct, including the disclosure of internal communications and critical reports about the broadcaster. Rai has already suspended the summer reruns of „Report.“ Meanwhile, names are circulating in Rome for his successor at the helm of the program; Peter Gomez, Giorgio Mottola, and Federico Ruffo are the main contenders. Ranucci himself is working on the new season, which is set to premiere on November 8 with twelve episodes on Rai 3, and has stated that he will only step down if forced to do so. He could be questioned by investigators in September.
