Three officers injured in Leontica explosion; suspect in Faido killing found dead in rubble

Femicide at Faido clinic

The sequence began on Thursday evening, 9 July, when passers-by or staff at the Faido rehabilitation clinic discovered a 56-year-old Swiss woman lying on the grounds with a gunshot wound to the head. A Rega helicopter and ambulance crews transferred her to hospital, but doctors were unable to save her and she died shortly after arrival. The victim, a resident of the Blenio Valley, had been receiving treatment at the facility. Cantonal police immediately launched a murder inquiry and soon identified her 59-year-old ex-husband as the prime suspect. A manhunt centred on the Blenio Valley, where the man also lived.

Explosion in Leontica during police intervention

On Friday at around 7 p.m., the emergency control centre received a call reporting shots coming from a house in Leontica, a village roughly 30 kilometres north of Bellinzona. Officers from the Ticino cantonal police were dispatched to the address, which local media said belonged to a relative of the fugitive and was uninhabited and listed for sale. As they approached the building, an explosion ripped through the interior, injuring three police officers. Police spokesman Roland Lucini confirmed that five officers in total were affected by the blast but said only three sustained light injuries.

We were in the village centre of Leontica. As we approached the building around 7:30 p.m., a violent explosion occurred. Three of them sustained light injuries. We were lucky, they are fine.

The explosion ignited a fire that rapidly consumed the structure. Fire crews from Acquarossa and Biasca, together with several ambulance organisations and a Rega helicopter, fought the flames. Flames also spread to neighbouring buildings, but the fire was contained and declared under control by about 9 p.m. Four residents from adjacent houses were evacuated as a precaution, and authorities cordoned off the access road. Police urged villagers to remain indoors.

Search and identification of the suspect

Throughout the night, investigators combed the debris. They found explosive material and human remains. On Saturday, the public prosecutor and cantonal police confirmed that the remains belonged to the 59-year-old ex-husband wanted for the Faido killing. The man's name has not been released. While the exact circumstances are still under investigation, the working hypothesis is that the suspect detonated the charge as officers closed in. No further explosive devices were reported. The Ticino prosecutor's office said investigations would continue to clarify the sequence of events and any third-party involvement, though the connection between the two incidents is now considered established.