Valter Lavitola arrested in connection with the attack on Ranucci. Investigating judge: ‘He wanted a political post through the presenter’
The businessman and former journalist and publisher is accused of being the mastermind. According to the judge in charge of the preliminary investigations in Rome, the planned attack had a twofold objective: to protect Ranucci and to boost his popularity
The businessman and former journalist and publisher Valter Lavitola has been arrested and taken into custody on charges of ordering the attack on the journalist and RAI presenter Sigfrido Ranucci, which took place last October in Pomezia, near Rome. The pre-trial detention order was issued by the Rome investigating magistrate Iole Moricca as part of the Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation – coordinated by Public Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi – in which the use of mafia-style methods is also alleged. The arrest was carried out by the Carabinieri’s Investigative Unit.
Investigating magistrate: motive for the attack to be found in the relationship between Lavitola and Ranuccci
According to the reconstruction set out in the pre-trial detention order issued by the Rome investigating magistrate, the motive that allegedly drove the former publisher and businessman Lavitola to commission the attack on the journalist and presenter of *Report* is to be found in their personal relationship. According to the judge, the plot to carry out the attack had a twofold objective: to protect Ranucci and to boost his popularity.
“Well, there is no doubt that the findings set out here constitute a compelling motive for the criminal act committed,” writes the investigating judge in the 198-page order in which he authorised Lavitola’s arrest. At the heart of the analysis are the messages found on the phone, which are said to prove the relationship with Ranucci. According to the judge, Lavitola “presented himself as someone ready to support Ranucci in times of difficulty and, in the face of his television successes, as a sycophant and great admirer. Lavitola is said to have nurtured the idea of persuading Ranucci to enter politics’. On 29 July 2024, during a difficult period in his professional life, he reportedly wrote to him: “It’s time to leave”, suggesting he give up journalism. On 26 June 2025, the message was reportedly even more explicit: “In any case, I think it’s clear to you that every attack against you serves to help you grow further; try to make the most of it, otherwise you risk your health”.
Arrest warrant also sought for intermediary Gomes Tavares
The investigating magistrate in Rome has also issued an arrest warrant, alongside the precautionary measure against Valter Lavitola, for the Cameroonian national Gomes Clesio Tavares, accused by Rome’s public prosecutors of having taken part in the plot to attack Ranucci. The man is currently on the run and is believed to be in Africa. According to the prosecution, Gomes acted as the intermediary between Lavitola and the gang – comprising four people – which actually carried out the bomb attack on 16 October last year in Pomezia, a town near Rome.
