Three police officers were killed and at least 13 others injured in an explosion at a farmhouse near Verona, Italy, on Tuesday. The blast occurred as officers attempted to carry out an eviction in Castel d’Azzano, in what authorities believe was an intentional act of violence.
Police arrested two men and one woman, all siblings in their 60s, who were the targets of the eviction. Investigative sources said the house had been filled with gas, and the explosion was triggered when the front door was opened as officers broke in. Provincial police commander Claudio Papagno described the scene as “an act of absolute madness,” noting that a gas cylinder had been ignited.
The suspects were thought to be inside the house at the time of the explosion. Previous attempts to evict the family, who had financial problems, had been thwarted by threats from the siblings to blow themselves up, according to the ANSA news agency. Verona’s chief prosecutor, Raffaele Tito, said the three face charges of premeditated murder, with authorities also considering a charge of mass killing.
Twelve law enforcement officers and a civilian woman were injured in the blast, firefighters confirmed. Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed their condolences, with Mattarella praising the “daily sacrifice of those who serve the state.”
