🔗 Share this article

Three members of law enforcement were killed and more than a dozen people got wounded in what appears to be premeditated gas explosion at a country home in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The detonation took place as law enforcement and fire personnel went into the residence near Verona to carry out an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three victims who died were members of the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the site and one more individual who escaped after the blast was located not long after. The trio have been taken to medical facility.

The blast could be audible as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the scene showed the property reduced to a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” commented Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who noted that previous tries had been made to evict the three siblings in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The leader of the Veneto region, President Zaia, explained the residence was subject to an court order due to debts incurred by the siblings.

Negotiators had been sent to talk with the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the home. When the Carabinieri reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities suspect a family member set off the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander the police commander told news outlets.

A gas canister had been activated, and the detonation immediately struck our members,” he said.

Molotov cocktails were also discovered at the property, the Interior Minister said.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the explosion included an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

The official thought the detonation had happened on a floor above the entrance and informed reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Just prior to the incident, he mentioned members had “detected a whistling noise, likely the gas cylinders being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors told reporters, noting that the three had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

“The incident exacted a ‘dreadful, extremely sad and dramatic price’.”

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in paying tribute to the three men who had been killed in the service of their country.