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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and more than a dozen additional individuals got wounded in a seemingly premeditated detonation from gas at a country home in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion was triggered as law enforcement and fire personnel went into the residence close to Verona to enforce an eviction order for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

The three officers killed served in the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female got detained at the scene and a third person who ran away following the incident was found not long after. The trio have been transported to the hospital.

The detonation could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the location revealed the structure reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated the Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that attempts had been made to evict the three siblings in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The leader of the Veneto area, Luca Zaia, said the property was subject to an eviction order due to financial obligations incurred by the siblings.

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to speak to the siblings who had secured themselves into the property. When the officers came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe one of the residents triggered the blast.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” local police chief Commander Papagno told the media.

“A gas cylinder had been activated, and the detonation directly hit our officers,” he explained.

Petrol bombs were also located at the site, the minister said.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the incident included eleven more officers of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had lacked electrical service.

The prosecutor thought the detonation had occurred on a floor above the doorway and stated to reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the blast, he mentioned officers had “heard a whistle, likely the gas canisters being opened”.

Community Reaction

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” neighbors informed reporters, mentioning that the trio had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister the Defence Minister joined other political leaders in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had died in the performance of their duties.