Italian Investigative Team Threatened with “Charlie Hebdo–Style” Attack

November 15, 2024 – Italy –

The editorial staff of Report, a prominent investigative program on Italy’s public broadcaster RAI3, received a chilling social media death threat explicitly referencing the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre. The message warned that the Report team “deserved it, Charlie Hebdo editorial team style,” in response to their reportage on the Israel–Gaza conflict.

Sigfrido Ranucci, head of Report, revealed the threat was issued on November 12 and was immediately reported to police. Ranucci has been under police protection since 2021, following learned threats linked to an alleged assassination plot by organized crime figures. The gravity of this latest attack sparked swift condemnation from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative, described the threat as “alarming” and called on Italian authorities to “take all necessary measures to protect the Report team” and ensure perpetrators are identified and prosecuted.

The explicit evocation of Charlie Hebdo – itself the site of a brutal terrorist attack that killed 12 people, including journalists, back in 2015 – signals an escalation in the use of extremist intimidation tactics against journalists. CPJ urged Italian police to treat the death threat with utmost seriousness and to strengthen protection protocols for the investigative team, emphasizing that journalists must report without fear of violence or intimidation.

This incident follows other threats against Italian investigative journalists. In early 2025, for example, Francesco Cancellato of Fanpage. It faced spyware targeting through WhatsApp, and a separate squad of RAI1 journalists endured gunfire while covering a child abuse case in February. Such recurring attacks illustrate a troubling trend: investigative journalism in Italy is facing elevated risks, ranging from digital surveillance to physical assault, and now, explicit threats of terror-style violence.

The Report team’s experience underscores the urgent need for enhanced surveillance of extremist intimidation tactics, along with robust legal and protective frameworks for journalists. CPJ’s message is clear: Italian authorities must respond decisively, not only to shield one TV program but to protect the very principle of free investigative journalism from being undermined by extremist violence.

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Italian investigative team receives death threat referencing Charlie Hebdo attack