The explosion of a car bomb in Via Palestro, near the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, resulted in the killing of five people (firemen Carlo La Catena, Sergio Pasotto and Stefano Picerno, the municipal guard Alessandro Ferrari and Driss Moussafir, a Moroccan immigrant who was sleeping on a bench) and the wounding of twelve.

On the evening of 27 July, the municipal guard Alessandro Ferrari noticed the presence of a Fiat Uno (stolen a few hours before) parked in via Palestro, in front of the Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, from which whitish smoke was coming out, requested the intervention of the Fire Brigade who found a weapon in the car; however, a few moments later at 11:14 pm, the car bomb exploded and killed the guard Alessandro Ferrari and firefighters Carlo La Catena, Sergio Pasotto and Stefano Picerno but also the Moroccan immigrant Driss Moussafir, who was hit by a piece of sheet metal as he slept on a bench.

The investigations reconstructed the execution of the Via Palestro massacre on the basis of statements made by the pentiti Pietro Carra, Antonio Scarano, Emanuele Di Natale and Umberto Maniscalco: in 1998 Cosimo Lo Nigro, Giuseppe Barranca, Francesco Giuliano, Gaspare Spatuzza, Luigi Giacalone, Salvatore Benigno, Antonio Scarano, Antonino Mangano and Salvatore Grigoli were recognized as material performers of the massacre in the 1993 judgment; However, in the same judgment, it reads: "[...] Unfortunately, the failure to identify the basis of operations in Milan and the subjects who in this city certainly had logistical support and manual contribution to the massacre did not allow to penetrate those realities that, as evidenced by the investigation carried out in other events at the examination of this Court, have proved to be more promising in terms of external verification".

In 2002, according to statements made by Carra and Scarano, the Prosecutor Office of Florence ordered the arrest of the brothers Tommaso and Giovanni Formoso ("Men of Honor" of Misilmeri), identified by investigations as those who helped Lo Nigro in the discharge of the explosive at Arluno and who physically carried out the Via Palestro massacre.

On the thirtieth anniversary in 2023, in tandem with prayer services and official events commemorating the attack, Pope Francis issued a letter recalling the bombing and expressing gratitude for those who "in the fulfillment of their duty, sometimes risking their lives, devoted themselves to the protection of the community.