Three Police Officers Killed in Gas Explosion Evicting Squatters

Three police officers were killed and a dozen others injured after a farmhouse exploded during an attempted eviction in northern Italy on Tuesday morning — in what officials now say was a “deliberate act of sabotage.”

The deadly blast ripped through a two-story farmhouse in Castel d’Azzano, near Verona, as Carabinieri — Italy’s national military police — arrived to remove squatters who had been living illegally on the property.

Authorities say the explosion was triggered intentionally by a brother and sister in their 60s who had barricaded themselves inside. The suspects were taken into custody while a third sibling remains on the run.

“The house was saturated with gas,” said Verona’s Carabinieri commander Colonel Claudio Pagano. “When the door was opened, it ignited — an absolutely crazy gesture.”

The victims were identified as Lieutenant Marco Piffari, Officer Davide Bernardello, and Brigadier Valerio Dapra. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto called their deaths a devastating loss to the nation.

“They sacrificed their lives carrying out their duty to the very end in the service of the country,” Crosetto said in a statement. “I extend my deepest condolences to their families and to the entire Carabinieri force.”

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed grief, writing on X that the government “mourns the tragic loss of three Carabinieri who died serving their country.”

Residents reported hearing the explosion more than three miles away. Within minutes, firefighters and emergency crews flooded the rural area, where the farmhouse had completely collapsed.

“It was like an earthquake,” said local resident Giulia Conti, who lives less than a mile from the site. “The ground shook, and then all we saw was black smoke rising over the fields.”

Authorities said the farmhouse had been occupied since 2024, when the siblings took it over and refused repeated orders to vacate. A previous eviction attempt had been called off after they allegedly threatened to blow up the property — a warning that proved chillingly real.

Deputy Mayor Antonello Panuccio told reporters that police had prepared for resistance but never expected an attack of this scale. “We knew there could be trouble,” he said. “But no one imagined they would turn the entire house into a bomb.”

The explosion has sparked outrage across Italy, with tributes pouring in for the fallen officers. The Carabinieri, who serve as both a national police and military force, play a crucial role in maintaining order in Italy’s rural regions.

President Sergio Mattarella is expected to attend a state funeral for the three officers later this week in Verona. Flags across the country were lowered to half-mast Wednesday in their memory.

“This tragedy reminds us of the danger faced daily by those who serve and protect,” said Defense Minister Crosetto. “Their courage will not be forgotten.”