Ranucci Bomb Attack: Interior Minister Deems Government Guilt Allegations Offensive

Rome: It is offensive to suggest any government guilt in last Thursday night’s bomb attack on Rai investigative journalist Sigrido Ranucci, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated during a parliamentary briefing on the case. “Whoever uses this serious act of intimidation to suggest government responsibility offends the truth and the institutions, with little sense of state,” he told the Lower House, addressing the ongoing political controversy.

According to Ansa News Agency, there have been opposition calls for members of Premier Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party to withdraw defamation suits against Ranucci for his work on Rai programme Report. Piantedosi highlighted that the five-year period from 2020 to 2024 recorded 718 incidents of intimidation against journalists, averaging approximately 143 events per year. The peak was in 2021 with 232 incidents, and the lowest was in 2023 with 98 incidents, indicating a decline during the current legislature.

Amidst the political tension, some on the Right have also urged FdI to withdraw their suits against Ranucci as a gesture of solidarity after his and his daughter’s cars were destroyed by a one-kilo bomb at their home south of Rome. The police are reportedly investigating multiple angles, including an Albanian mafia trail.

Ranucci is known for his hard-hitting expos©s on mafia and corruption, which have led to opposition calls urging his critics to cease frivolous or vexatious lawsuits against him. FdI members have maintained that there is “absolutely no link” between their criticism of Ranucci’s work and the attack. Premier Giorgia Meloni and others on the centre-right have expressed unqualified solidarity with Ranucci during this challenging time.