Ranucci attack: father and son 'divided' over bombing and preparations

Rome – The two perpetrators of the attack on journalist Sigfrido Ranucci were criminals in the process of being 'out of control'.

The statements of Antonio Passariello and Pellegrino D'Avino, father and son, while converging on the main points, provided investigators with conflicting versions of the preparatory phase and, above all, the origin of the explosive.

Passariello, the father, is the one who, along with Saverio Mutone, physically placed the explosive, but claims not to know the nature of the bomb and implicates his son: "My son Pellegrino told me that the device contained only gunpowder and denies knowing how the device worked." He then admits to having procured a balaclava and gloves, placing the explosive in the spare tire compartment and the remote control in the car's dashboard.

In his story, Passariello reveals that the remote control didn't work the first time, that he went back and "got within 5 meters" and pressed the button, and the bomb exploded.

According to prosecutor De Santis, who ruled against his release, Passariello knew the nature of the device, which contained 'quarry gelatin,' so well that he took all necessary precautions to detonate it.

Pellegrino D'Avino, for his part, claimed that it was Gomes Clesio Tavares who offered him the job on the street in Cicciano, near Naples. "We need to plant a bomb, nothing fancy, quiet stuff," the Cameroonian, Valter Lavitola's handyman, reportedly said. He offered him €3000 for the job.

D'Avino, contradicted by wiretaps, claims he only picked up the explosives and didn't order them. The exchange apparently took place behind a low wall near the statue of the Saint in Sperone. D'Avino doesn't say who left the bomb there, which was later used in the attack. "It was in a box sealed with packing tape. There were no other items inside the bag."

The father contradicts him: "My son gave me the remote control." In short, during the interrogation, the two men tried to minimize their responsibilities, each for himself, but instead ended up aggravating them. In justifying his rejection of the release, investigating judge Livio Sabatini wrote of "reticent statements contradicted by the results of the wiretaps."

The two men's versions partially converge regarding the money received from Gomez. The morning after the attack, the Cameroonian, a friend of D'Avino, gave him the agreed-upon sum. The young man claims to have given €1200 to his father, who, however, claims to have received only €200, €1000 to Mutone, and €800 to himself.