Capaci massacre: The 1992 explosion targeting Giovanni Falcone

The Capaci massacre, which occurred on May 23, 1992, involved a massive explosion of 500 kilograms of TNT that destroyed a section of the highway connecting Punta Raisi airport to Palermo. The blast targeted a convoy of three armored Fiat Croma vehicles carrying magistrate Giovanni Falcone, a prominent figure in the fight against the Mafia.

Vito Schifani, a 27-year-old security agent and father of a four-month-old child, was driving the first vehicle in the convoy. He had stepped in to replace an absent colleague at the last moment. The explosion caused a massive crater in the road and resulted in the deaths of those in the convoy, an event described as a moment that shook the entire country.