🔗 Share this article

Three members of law enforcement perished and no fewer than 15 others were hurt in an apparently deliberate gas explosion at a country home in the northern part of Italy.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as police and firefighters went into the residence near the Verona region to enforce an removal notice for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

All three officers killed were members of the Italian military police.

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were arrested at the site and another man who ran away subsequent to the incident was apprehended not long after. Each of them have been admitted to the hospital.

The explosion could be audible as far as 3 miles distant and footage from the location showed the building left as a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who noted that efforts had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the past.

Background and Motive

The head of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, said the residence was subject to an court order due to debts accrued by the siblings.

Mediators had been assigned to talk with the siblings who had locked themselves into the property. When the officers reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the residents caused the blast.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander Commander Papagno informed news outlets.

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the blast immediately struck our personnel,” he said.

Molotov cocktails were also found at the site, the Interior Minister stated.

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the explosion consisted of 11 other members of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of the state police and a emergency responder.

Based on information from the Verona prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The prosecutor thought the blast had occurred on a level above the doorway and told reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the incident, he mentioned officers had “heard a whistle, likely the propane tanks being turned on”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents informed local news, adding that the family members had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than be evicted.

“The blast resulted in a ‘horrific, deeply distressing and tragic cost’.”

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto united with other political leaders in honoring the trio of personnel who had died in the performance of their duties.