Attack on Ranucci, Lavitola denies being the instigator: "We are like brothers"
After two hours of questioning at the Rome Prosecutor's Office, Lavitola chose not to respond to prosecutors but made lengthy spontaneous statements. His lawyer: "Unconnected to the facts, relationship incompatible with any motive".
Questioning in Rome: Lavitola defends himself against accusation of being the instigator of the attack on Ranucci
The questioning of Valter Lavitola at the Rome Prosecutor's Office lasted approximately two hours. According to rainews.it, the former director of the Avanti — under investigation for attempted massacre and mafia-type criminal association in relation to the bomb attack against journalist Sigfrido Ranucci, which occurred on 16 October 2025 — did not respond to prosecutors' questions, instead choosing to make lengthy spontaneous statements. At the end of the hearing, Lavitola and his lawyer, Sergio Cola, left through the rear of the courthouse and left by taxi without making any further statements.
The defence line: fraternal friendship and complete non-involvement
Before entering the Prosecutor's Office, lawyer Cola had outlined his client's position: "Valter Lavitola is distressed by the accusations that have been made against him, due to the close and fraternal friendship he has with Ranucci, as confirmed by the journalist himself."
At the end of the hearing, Cola illustrated the content of the spontaneous statements made by Lavitola. The latter reportedly described in detail his bond with Ranucci: continuous, almost daily socialising, relations between their respective families, mutual personal favours. "All of this clearly could only be incompatible with the criminal conduct that has been alleged against him, namely being the instigator of the attack," Cola explained. The decision not to submit to formal questioning was motivated by the lack of access to investigative materials, as provided for under article 375 of the code of criminal procedure.
The Gomez case and the trip to Cameroon
Lavitola also reportedly addressed the position of Gomes Clesio Tavares, a 47-year-old from Cameroon being investigated alongside him on the charge of having acted as intermediary between Lavitola and the group that physically carried out the attack. According to his lawyer, Lavitola regards Tavares "as a son in the truest sense of the word" and has maintained his non-involvement in the facts.
Cola also dismissed the theory of a flight to Cameroon: "Lavitola travels continuously to that country, as evidenced by his passport, and is currently there for financial reasons, following a matter relating to carbon credits."
The presence in Pomezia one month before the attack
One of the most cited circumstantial pieces of evidence in the press concerns an alleged sighting of Lavitola on 15 September 2025, near Ranucci's villa in Pomezia, approximately one month before the attack. His lawyer dismantled this reconstruction: "Lavitola said that Ranucci's villa was familiar to him, in the sense that he had been there several times. Absolutely no suspicion or evidentiary value can be given to this circumstance." Cola added that on 15 September Lavitola had left for Argentina, albeit in the evening.
The lawyer concluded by stating that Lavitola has made himself available to answer questions from magistrates should he obtain access to the evidence: "I believe that all of this has been more than sufficient to demonstrate his innocence."
The suspects and those detained
The investigation is coordinated by chief prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi and is currently being followed by deputy prosecutor Edoardo De Santis, after the original prosecutor, Carlo Villani, moved to head the Velletri Prosecutor's Office. In recent days, carabinieri from the Rome and Frascati investigative unit, on the orders of the capital's anti-mafia district directorate, searched Lavitola's home seizing mobile phones and computers, which are now being analysed.
Last week, four precautionary measures were executed against the alleged material perpetrators of the attack: the couple Pellegrino D'Avino and Marika De Filippis, residents of Avella, are under house arrest; Saverio Mutone, from Sperone, and Antonio Passariello, 53 years old, from Cicciano and believed to be one of the group's leaders, were arrested between Naples and Avellino. All of them are being charged, to varying degrees, with possession, carrying in a public place and use of an explosive device, threats and damage, aggravated by having acted in a group of more than five people and in a mafia-style manner.
The device and the site inspection
According to investigators' reconstruction, Lavitola allegedly instructed Clesio Tavares to identify subjects capable of obtaining explosives and detonating them in front of the journalist's home, also participating in a site inspection of the house located in a residential area between Pomezia and Torvajanica. The device placed in front of the entrance consisted of "quarry gelignite". The charge of aggravated massacre in concurrence is contested against Lavitola, Passariello, D'Avino, Mutone, De Filippis and Clesio Tavares.
Lavitola, an entrepreneur and former journalist-publisher, has previously been involved in various legal matters.
Source: la Repubblica