AI Generated Image
Italy police say businessman with ties to Berlusconi is mastermind behind journalist bomb attack
CBS News • • world
Key Points:
- Valter Lavitola, a businessman with ties to former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, has been arrested for allegedly masterminding an October bomb attack on investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci's home.
- The attack, which destroyed two of Ranucci's cars, occurred in Pomezia near Rome; Ranucci, known for his investigations into corruption and the mafia, was unharmed and has been under police protection since 2021.
- Lavitola is accused of instructing Tavares Gomes Clesio to recruit four men who carried out the bombing, with police still searching for Gomes; Lavitola reportedly believed the attack would boost Ranucci's profile for a potential political career.
- Ranucci, a prominent host of the investigative show "Report," is not suspected of any involvement and was unaware of the plot, despite having previously described Lavitola as a "true friend."
- Lavitola, a former journalist and businessman linked to Berlusconi, was previously convicted alongside the former premier in a bribery case involving a senator.
