Backpack Explosion in Oviedo Kills Police Canine Subinspector

Overview

• Police responded in the Villafría neighborhood after a separate early-morning shooting left a young woman wounded and stable, setting the scene for a later search of the building.
• At about 8:40 a.m. on Tuesday officers attempting to remove a suspicious backpack detonated an explosive device, killing a subinspector from the Policía Nacional’s Canine Unit and seriously wounding a TEDAX bomb-disposal operative who was taken into surgery.
• Authorities have launched an active manhunt for the reported owner, described in press reports as a 64-year-old Spanish man, and have detained his wife for questioning as the investigation continues.
• The area around Rafael Urrusti Street remains sealed with a reinforced police presence, Oviedo’s mayor visited the scene, and the Jupol police union issued a statement expressing deep sorrow over the death.
• Explosive ordnance disposal work carries known risks because devices can detonate during neutralization, and investigators will look at how the device was handled and whether the events link to the earlier neighborhood dispute.