Italian Carabinieri stand guard in front of the residence of Italian journalist of TV investigative television news show 'Report', Sigfrido Ranucci, after a bomb destroyed vehicles parked in front of his house in Pomezia near Rome, on 17 October 2025. Photo by Emanuele VALERI / ANSA / AFP
Rome: A bomb destroyed the vehicle of a prominent Italian journalist overnight, without causing casualties, his investigative television news show announced Friday.
Sigfrido Ranucci's car blew up in an explosion in Pomezia, near Rome, that also damaged the family's other car and the house next door, according to Report, which broadcasts on RAI public television.
"The force of the explosion was so strong that it could have killed anyone passing by at the moment," it said in a statement on X.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni strongly condemned what she called a "serious act of intimidation".
"The freedom and independence of information are non-negotiable values of our democracies, which we will continue to defend," she wrote on X.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said he had ordered an increase in the journalist's security "to the maximum".
He called the attack a "cowardly and extremely serious act that represents an attack not only on the person but on the freedom of the press and the fundamental values of our democracy".
The Report show is known for its in-depth investigative reports.
According to the campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Italy ranks 49th in the world in terms of press freedom.
"Journalists who investigate organised crime and corruption are systematically threatened and sometimes subjected to physical violence for their investigative work," it said in its latest update.
About 20 journalists currently live under permanent police protection after being the targets of intimidation and attacks, it added.
