A 59-year-old former Italian intelligence official, described by local outlets as an “ex-007,” was arrested on Tuesday alongside another former agent in Rome for spying on behalf of Russia and leaking classified information to Moscow.
The retired agent, reportedly identified as Gavino Raoul Piras, is a former member of the Carabinieri gendarmerie’s intelligence division. He stands accused by the Office of Rome’s Public Prosecutor of engaging in unauthorized access of sensitive computer systems to spy for Russia.
The other arrested man, also 59 years old, was identified by local outlets as former agent Vincenzo di Pasquale.
Sky TG24 reports that, per the investigations, the “ex-007” agent allegedly held talks with a purported Moscow intelligence agent who is “presently in Italy under diplomatic cover.” The Russian contact allegedly made requests for classified information in exchange for a sum of money.
According to Italian outlets, the Piras gathered the requested information through the use of a network of six sources with access to sensitive information requiring a high degree of confidentiality.
Five other suspects are involved in the ongoing investigation — four of which are “active-duty military personnel assigned to highly classified posts” who are allegedly responsible for leaking the classified information to the former agents.
The outlet noted that the diplomatic immunity that the alleged Russian intelligence officials boasts “protects him from judicial measures on Italian territory. The two former agents were arrested by officials from the Italian Carabinieri’s Special Operations Group (ROS). According to Rai News, 20,000 euros in cash were found during the search of one of the suspects’ residence.
The Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano provided more details of the Italian “ex-007” Gavino Raoul Piras. According to the newspaper, Piras holds degrees in Political Science and International relations, authored an analysis titled “Theory of Informational Capital,” and underwent training at the NATO school in Oberammergau, Germany.
Piras reportedly participated in NATO’s “Unified Blade” counterintelligence and human intelligence training exercises, held in Kaiserslautern, Germany in late 2000.
“Throughout his career in Italy and abroad, he conducted in-depth studies on the modus operandi of espionage and counter-espionage,” Il Fatto Quotidiano wrote.
The arrests stem from a broad investigation launched in Mary 2025 by the Carabinieri‘s ROS that branched into two separate sets of criminal proceedings in the Italian capital, one by the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office and the other by the Rome Military Prosecutor’s Office.
The two arrested men face charges of espionage involving information whose disclosure is prohibited, the disclosure of information whose disclosure is prohibited, and unauthorized access to a computer or telecommunications system.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto congratulated the work of the Italian judiciary and investigators that led to the arrest of the two former intelligence agents in an official statement — emphasizing that there can be “no tolerance” with those who compromises the Italian Republic’s security or puts it at risk.
“The protection of national security, classified information, and institutions represents a primary interest of the State and cannot tolerate any form of compromise,” Crosetto’s statement read in part.
“The Defense [Ministry] will continue to collaborate with the judicial authorities with the utmost transparency, institutional loyalty, and firmness, adopting any further initiative necessary to safeguard the integrity of its structures and strengthen citizens’ trust in the institutions,” the text concluded.
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