Lawyers for arrested men: 'Tavares told them to plant a bomb under Ranucci's house'

Legal representatives for two individuals arrested in connection with an alleged plot against journalist Sigfrido Ranucci have asserted that their clients were instructed solely to plant a bomb at Ranucci's residence. The defense team stressed that the scope of their clients' alleged involvement did not extend to any shooting incidents.

Attorneys Generoso Pagliarulo and Antonio Falconieri stated that their clients, Pellegrino D'Avino and Antonio Passariello, confirmed during questioning that their sole contact was with an individual named Tavares. The lawyers emphasized that D'Avino and Passariello maintained they had no intention of harming anyone and were unfamiliar with both Ranucci and another figure mentioned in the investigation, Lavitola.

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The issues we already knew were touched upon. The scope of the mandate is that of the first order (that is, Tavares's request to place the device under Ranucci's house), not the gunshots.

This clarification from the defense aims to delineate the alleged actions of their clients, focusing specifically on the directive to place an explosive device. The lawyers' statements suggest a potential effort to distance their clients from more violent aspects of the alleged conspiracy, framing their role as limited to carrying out a specific, albeit dangerous, instruction.

The legal team's remarks came after the interrogation of D'Avino and Passariello at the Rebibbia facility. The defense's narrative centers on the alleged mandate from Tavares, positioning their clients as executors of this specific part of a larger plan, while denying any knowledge or participation in other potential criminal activities related to the case.

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D'Avino and Passariello only had dealings with Tavares. They confirmed that they did not want to hurt anyone and that they did not know Ranucci, nor Lavitola.