Three Police Officers Killed in Deliberate Explosion During Eviction in Italy

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A routine and long-planned eviction at a farmhouse in northern Italy turned into a scene of carnage and "absolute madness" on Tuesday after three Carabinieri police officers, the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign policing duties, were killed and fifteen other public officials were injured in a powerful explosion that authorities believe was a deliberately laid trap. 

The blast, which occurred during the early hours in the province of Verona, was reportedly triggered when law enforcement officers broke down the front door of the property, igniting a house that had been intentionally filled with gas.

Three siblings in their 60s, who were being evicted due to financial problems and had a history of threatening to blow themselves up, have been detained in connection with the deadly attack, which has sent a shockwave of grief and anger across the nation.

The tragic incident unfolded in the municipality of Castel D'Azzano, a town near the city of Verona. According to a report from the Italian news agency ANSA, the eviction had been planned for days, and previous attempts to remove the family from the farmhouse had been thwarted by their repeated threats to cause an explosion.

In the early hours of Tuesday, a large contingent of law enforcement officers, including members of the Carabinieri, State police, and firefighters, assembled to carry out the court-ordered eviction.

What happened next was a scene of premeditated violence. According to investigative sources cited by ANSA, the house had been deliberately filled with gas, and the explosion was triggered by the simple act of the front door opening as the officers made their entry. The resulting blast was devastating.

Three Carabinieri officers were killed instantly, and the force of the explosion injured fifteen others. As reported by ANSA, the injured included eleven Carabinieri officers, three State police officers, and one firefighter, all of whom were rushed to the hospital.

Firefighters also confirmed on the social media platform X that a civilian woman was among the injured, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP). While the head of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, stated that three of the injured were in very serious condition, police later clarified that none of them were in a life-threatening condition, according to AFP.

"Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness," provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told the ANSA news agency in a statement also carried by AFP. "A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the explosion directly hit our officers."

He confirmed that an investigation was underway but stated that the evidence pointed overwhelmingly to a deliberate act. "It appeared to be 'an intentional act'," he said. "It was a building that had been abandoned for several months, and the occupants had essentially barricaded themselves inside."

In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, authorities launched a search for the occupants of the farmhouse. Two of the siblings, identified by Luca Zaia as Maria and Dino Ramponi, were arrested immediately after the blast and were assisted by paramedics at the scene.

The third sibling, 65-year-old Franco Ramponi, fled the property following the explosion. A manhunt was initiated, and he was later apprehended in the countryside, in a field near the property. "From initial investigations, it appears the farmhouse was subject to an eviction order due to debts accrued by the three owners," Zaia wrote in a social media post, as reported by AFP.

The deaths of the three officers have been met with an outpouring of grief and condemnation from across the country. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni led the tributes to the victims and confirmed that she was closely following the developments in the case.

The incident has highlighted the often-unseen dangers that law enforcement officers face, even in what are considered routine civil procedures. The fact that the family had a known history of making violent threats and that previous eviction attempts had been called off due to their threats to "blow themselves up" will undoubtedly be a central focus of the investigation, raising questions about the risk assessment and procedures that were in place for this final, tragic attempt to enforce the court order.

The deliberate and calculated nature of the attack, transforming a family home into a deadly booby trap, has left a nation in mourning and searching for answers in the wake of an act of incomprehensible violence.