They opened a door, and hell engulfed them. Three Carabinieri were killed, thirteen other police officers and soldiers were injured—some under the rubble—in what, for all intents and purposes, appears to have been a calculated act : a house filled with gas, a fuse lit at the entrance, and a devastating explosion.

It happened in Castel d'Azzano, in the province of Verona. The eviction had been planned for days. The farmhouse, a two-story rural building, was occupied by three brothers already known to law enforcement. This time, the threat to "blow themselves up"—already made in at least two previous incidents—became true.

When the Carabinieri officers and specialized agents from the UOPI—the police's counterterrorism unit—approached the house, tensions were already at their highest. One of the three brothers had barricaded himself inside with the other two. The smell of gas was evident. Some officers climbed onto the roof to rappel down, while others approached the main entrance.

Gas cylinders and the remains of Molotov cocktails were found in the exploded farmhouse. Firefighters recovered five cylinders that had been placed in multiple rooms of the house and are now piled up in the courtyard. The house was filled with gas, presumably released from multiple cylinders, given the powerful explosion that caused the building to collapse.
The woman was thought to have lit the fuse, while the two brothers were apparently in a sort of cellar, not a stable as initially reported. All three had barricaded themselves in the house.

As soon as the door was opened, the explosion hit the group . The farmhouse collapsed, immediately engulfed in flames. Some bodies were thrown outside, others buried.

The victims were Lieutenant Special Charge Marco Piffari, Chief Brigadier Valerio Daprà, and Carabiniere Select Davide Bernardello. They were on duty between Padua and Mestre. Nothing could be done for them. One was pulled out lifeless half an hour after the explosion.

Grief erupts within the Carabinieri: "They honored the uniform to the ultimate sacrifice," said the secretary of the Carabinieri Union (SIM). Defense Minister Guido Crosetto described it as a "tragic loss" and paid tribute to the memory of the three fallen. "A terrible toll," added Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.

The names of the farmhouse's occupants are known: Franco, Dino, and Maria Luisa Ramponi, farmers in dire financial straits , with outstanding mortgages and a long history of tensions with the authorities. Twice, between October and November 2024, they had threatened to do the same thing: saturate the house with gas and climb onto the roof when the bailiff arrived. In both cases, negotiators managed to avert the worst.

According to initial reports, one of the brothers tried to escape into the fields after the explosion and is still being sought . The other was injured and is hospitalized under surveillance. His sister, who suffered burns, was apprehended and taken to the hospital. But the escape of Franco Rampolli, 65, was short-lived: he was caught by members of the Investigative Unit in a field he owned.

Firefighters, dozens of Suem ambulances, and provincial and regional law enforcement officials responded to the scene. Verona's Chief Prosecutor, Raffaele Tito, also visited the area : "An incredible tragedy. We were looking for Molotov cocktails and acted with the utmost caution. But the outcome was unexpected and very painful."

(Unioneonline/Fr.Me.)

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