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Assassination of Ranucci, Albanian track shakes up investigation: He was hit for betting on hotspots
2026-02-19 23:42:59 / AKTUALITET
By Luca Arnau – LaCapitaleNews
An explosion under the house, a name that comes back from television investigations, a track that crosses the Adriatic and reaches Miami. The assassination of Sigfrido Ranucci, which took place on October 16 under the apartment of the director of Report, continues to bring investigative developments. And in recent hours, what investigators call the 'Albanian track' is taking more and more shape.
At the center of attention is the name of Artur Shehu, 58 years old, an entrepreneur originally from Albania, a figure who in several journalistic investigations has been described as close to organized crime circles in his country.
Today Shehu lives in the United States, in Florida, in Miami, where he lives a reserved life and away from public attention. According to investigative sources, the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate has also received information from Vlora, in southern Albania, about the 58-year-old's possible involvement in the explosion that occurred in Rome.
The trail is being carefully followed by the Rome Anti-Mafia District Directorate, with Deputy Prosecutor Ilaria Calò and Prosecutor Carlo Villani, together with the Carabinieri of the Frascati and Via In Selci Investigation Units, committed to reconstructing every detail of the dynamics. The aim is twofold: to identify who physically planted the explosives and to find the possible orderers.
The hypothesized motive, at this stage, is related to a Report episode broadcast on April 21, 2024, entitled '(Hot) Spot Albanian'. The service dealt with the project of centers for migrants built by Italy in Albania, in Shëngjin and Gjadra, within the framework of the bilateral agreement between Rome and Tirana.
In that context, Shehu's name was mentioned in several parts of the show. And it was placed within a network of relationships and interests that affect Albanian political and institutional environments.
In the Rai3 program, the 58-year-old was described as an entrepreneur previously mentioned in international investigations for suspected links to organized crime circles, including references to Cosa Nostra and Sacra Corona Unita. According to the journalistic reconstruction, Shehu would have donated 30 thousand square meters of land near Vlora to the foundation of General Fabrizio Lisi, at the time head of Interpol in Albania.
An operation that, according to Report, would have been mediated by lawyer Enjell Agaçi, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers of Albania and associate of Prime Minister Edi Rama, a figure considered central in defining the agreement for immigrants.
Shehu's name was not unknown to the American press either. In March 2021, the Miami Herald had dedicated a detailed investigation to him, describing his life in a villa in Miami Beach, on Alton Road, among palm trees and luxury cars. A portrait that mixed business, allegedly controversial connections and an international network of interests.
Now Italian investigators are also verifying this profile, cross-referencing information collected in Albania with the 58-year-old's possible movements and contacts in the United States. This is still a preliminary phase. There are no formal charges, but a series of elements are being analyzed to understand whether there is a concrete link between the television investigation and the assassination.
However, the clues remain numerous. Over the years, Report has dealt with sensitive topics: mafia, corruption, public tenders, international trafficking.
The hypothesis that the assassination could be linked to a specific investigation does not rule out other possible motives. Investigators are also evaluating the attempt, which occurred last summer, to enter the journalist's second home, an episode that may indicate repeated pressure.
In this scenario, the Albanian track seems to be the most popular today, but not the only one. The investigation is continuing in several directions, with the aim of reconstructing not only the hand that planted the explosive, but above all the mind that would have decided to strike one of the symbolic figures of Italian investigative journalism.
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