Valter Lavitola, businessman and former publisher, was arrested by the Carabinieri's Investigative Unit and transferred to Rebibbia prison. He is accused of being the mastermind behind the explosive attack on journalist and Rai presenter Sigfrido Ranucci, which occurred on October 16, 2025 outside his home in Pomezia, near Rome. The precautionary measure was ordered by the preliminary investigations judge Iole Moricca at the request of the Prosecutor's Office coordinated by prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi, which also charges the aggravating circumstance of mafia-style methods.

According to the prosecution's case, the attack was organized through a chain of intermediaries. Lavitola allegedly tasked Gomes Clesio Tavares, a Cameroonian citizen described as Lavitola's factotum, with finding people capable of procuring explosives and carrying out the demonstrative action. Tavares allegedly recruited and instructed four executors from the Campania region, coordinating two reconnaissance operations on the Lazio coast on September 15 and October 10, 2025. Lavitola allegedly participated personally in the first reconnaissance. The investigation relied on the analysis of telephone and telematic records, vehicle tracking, and forensic examination of the suspects' mobile phones, which contradicted their attempts to establish alibis.

The motive attributed to Lavitola by the prosecution is political in nature. According to the judge's order, the attack was commissioned exclusively to increase Ranucci's popularity and accelerate the businessman's political projects. As early as 2024, Lavitola was proposing to Ranucci the idea of running in the next political elections, writing in a chat that within two years he could become Prime Minister. Lavitola considered Ranucci capable of representing a political novelty, going so far as to commission a poll to verify his popularity rating.

The judge specifies in the order that no evidence has emerged to suggest that Ranucci was in agreement with Lavitola. The journalist is described as the victim of the accused's manipulation, given the deep bond between the two and Lavitola's cunning, which led him to continue manipulating Ranucci even after the attack, reinforcing in him the belief that the prosecution's theory was implausible. Ranucci never formally endorsed the political project, though over time he displayed an attitude of openness or curiosity, as inferred from the tone of his messages.

Gomes Clesio Tavares, currently a fugitive believed to be in Africa, has been served with an arrest warrant. In an interview with Tg1, he stated that he had intended to return to Italy to explain his version of events, but had questioned the reasons for the arrest warrant. Tavares also reported health problems, specifically thrombosis, for which his cardiologist advised against travel. According to the prosecution, Tavares acted as an intermediary between Lavitola and the group that physically planted the explosive device.

The order also reveals that Ranucci had known Tavares since at least January 2022, as evidenced by a photograph showing the three men embracing, sent by Lavitola to the journalist. In a message dated October 17, 2024, Ranucci jokingly asked Lavitola to lend him Gomes, prompting the businessman's amusement. The judge inferred from this remark that Ranucci was aware of Tavares' role as factotum and bodyguard in Lavitola's service.

The poll commissioned by Lavitola was reportedly arranged through Michelino Davico, a former Undersecretary of the Interior and former Lega senator, a longtime friend of the businessman. The document, concerning a study on Ranucci's electoral potential and political image, was intercepted by investigators on July 6, 2026. Lavitola reportedly discussed it with a Carabinieri colonel during a search on July 4, claiming that he and Ranucci were planning a candidacy in the next political elections within the center-left coalition, supported by specially commissioned polls.

Ranucci commented on the affair by stating that Lavitola's goal was to remove him from hosting Report, emphasizing that he has always been identified as the injured party. The journalist observed that he had to be wary not only of enemies but also of friends. On the political front, Pd secretary Elly Schlein had expressed solidarity with Ranucci after the attack, stating that democracy is at risk when the far right is in government. Fratelli d'Italia subsequently resurfaced those remarks, calling on Schlein to apologize to the Meloni government, given that someone close to the victim had been arrested. The political debate over the attack remains open and mirrors the differing interpretations of the affair.