Overview
- Italian prosecutors and Carabinieri ROS have arrested and placed under investigation several former and serving intelligence personnel on charges including espionage and unlawful access to computer systems following a year‑long inquiry triggered by an AISI tip.
- Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ordered two Russian military attachés expelled after investigators say classified material was passed to a Russian agent operating under diplomatic cover in exchange for cash payments and covert handovers recorded on ROS video.
- Searches of suspects’ homes and offices produced seized cash, hidden phones, micro SDs and other physical evidence that investigators are forensically examining to map how documents and digital files moved through the alleged network.
- In a separate probe, prosecutors seized seven handwritten pages, three cellphones and pen drives from Valter Lavitola, who denies ordering the October 16, 2025 bombing of Ranucci; investigators say the journalistic‑retaliation motive currently looks less likely while device forensics and geolocation checks proceed.
- The cases have immediate consequences: suspended intelligence officers, a diplomatic spat with Moscow, intense media scrutiny of Ranucci’s ties to sources, and possible wider reviews of how diplomats with immunity can be investigated and removed when suspected of spying.