Unknown perpetrators set fire to the car of Gaetano Scariolo, a reporter at the daily Giornale di Sicilia and the Agi News Agency, on May 10, 2019, in a case that police have linked to Scariolo’s journalism, according to reports by the journalist’s employers.
The car was parked near Scariolo’s home in Syracuse, on the island of Sicily, and was destroyed in the fire, according to those reports; no one was injured.
Local police opened a criminal investigation into the fire, and believe that the blaze was premeditated and linked to Scariolo’s coverage of local news stories, especially relating to organized crime, Agi News Agency reported.
Scariolo told Italian media website Giornalisti Italia that he believes the attack was tied to his reporting, and said it will not intimidate him.
CPJ emailed the Syracuse city police for comment but did not immediately receive a response.