On the night of October 16, 2025, a powerful explosion shattered the quiet of Pomezia, a town just south of Rome. The target: Sigfrido Ranucci, one of Italy’s most prominent investigative journalists and the lead anchor of the state-run RAI3 program Report. His car, parked outside his home, was destroyed in a blast so forceful that, as Report stated, "it could have killed anyone passing by at that moment." Miraculously, no one was injured—Ranucci had just returned home, and his daughter had walked past the car only thirty minutes earlier.
The timing of the attack was chilling. It landed on the eighth anniversary of the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb after exposing corruption in political and business circles. The parallels were not lost on the journalistic community, nor on the Italian public. According to the Associated Press, the blast destroyed Ranucci’s car, damaged another family vehicle, and mangled the front gate of his home. Police, firefighters, and forensic teams quickly descended on the scene, and magistrates from Rome’s anti-Mafia police were assigned to investigate.
Ranucci has lived under police protection since 2021, a measure taken after years of threats linked to his fearless reporting on Italy’s criminal underworld. His work has regularly exposed the connections between powerful mafia groups—like Cosa Nostra and the 'Ndrangheta—far-right crime syndicates, and high-profile murders. In comments to journalists outside RAI’s offices after the blast, Ranucci was defiant: "Whoever thinks they can condition the work of Report by doing something like this will get the opposite effect. The only thing this does is maybe makes us waste some time." (Sky News)
He described the bombing as an "escalation" of two years of threats directed at him and his team. Ranucci told Report that there had "certainly been a series of incidents of intimidation, which I have always reported. There is definitely a general climate of isolation and delegitimisation toward me and the entire editorial staff of Report from an editorial point of view." He also revealed that, in the past, he had received death threats—including an instance where a former prisoner told him that mobsters "had given the order to kill you" after his book on the mafia was published, but the hit "was stopped." He once found two bullets outside his house, a stark reminder of the risks faced by those who challenge Italy’s criminal networks (AFP).
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni moved swiftly to condemn what she called "the serious act of intimidation he has suffered." In a statement posted on social media and reported by AP, Meloni declared, "Freedom and independence of information are essential values of our democracies, which we will continue to defend." Her comments were echoed by politicians across the spectrum, journalists’ unions, and international organizations. The International Federation of Journalists issued a strong statement: "We strongly condemn the attempted murder of a journalist, which constitutes a direct assault on media freedom, and urgently call for a thorough investigation to ensure that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice."
The attack has thrown a spotlight on the dangers faced by investigative journalists in Italy. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Italy ranks 49th in the world for press freedom, and this bombing is "the most serious attack against an Italian reporter in recent years." RSF’s Europe head, Pavol Szalai, warned, "Press freedom itself is facing an existential threat in Italy." The organization has noted that journalists who investigate organized crime and corruption are "systematically threatened and sometimes subjected to physical violence." Around 20 journalists in Italy currently live under permanent police protection, including Roberto Saviano, famed author of the mafia exposé "Gomorrah."
The Italian journalists’ federation FNSI reported that in the first half of 2025 alone, 81 reporters had been victims of intimidation, with 16 suffering physical assaults (Reuters). Alessandra Costante, FNSI’s Secretary General, didn’t mince words: "The attack on Sigfrido Ranucci sets the clock of democracy in Italy back decades."
Report is one of the few investigative programs on Italian television with a reputation for hard-hitting journalism. It regularly breaks stories involving influential politicians, business leaders, and public figures. Ranucci himself has been sued multiple times for defamation—a common tactic used by those seeking to silence critical reporting. Just days before the bombing, he was absolved in the latest such case.
The shadow of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder looms large over this story. Like Ranucci, she was targeted for her relentless pursuit of the truth. Two men were sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for complicity in her murder, while two others pleaded guilty in 2022 and received 40-year sentences. Both journalists faced a barrage of libel suits designed to intimidate and silence them.
The broader context is equally sobering. Italy’s battle with organized crime is a long and bloody one, with journalists often on the front lines. The Cosa Nostra and 'Ndrangheta have a history of using violence and intimidation to protect their interests. Far-right crime groups have also been implicated in attacks on the press. According to Ranucci, "The explosion was likely related to Report's investigations into links between powerful mafia groups including the Cosa Nostra and the 'Ndrangheta, far-right crime groups and previous high-profile killings" (Sky News).
Despite these dangers, Ranucci and his colleagues remain resolute. "Whoever thinks they can condition the work of Report by doing something like this will get the opposite effect," he said. "The only thing this does is maybe makes us waste some time." The message is clear: intimidation will not silence Italy’s investigative journalists.
As anti-Mafia police continue their investigation, many in Italy and beyond are watching closely. The attack has galvanized support for press freedom and underscored the critical role of independent journalism in holding power to account. For Ranucci, his family, and the staff of Report, the risks remain real—but so does their commitment to the truth.