Search for Manuel Ferrero: detained over bomb that killed police officer in Oviedo
Manuel Ferrero Álvarez, aged 64, is being sought following an attack in Oviedo where a bomb killed a national police officer. Authorities reveal that the fugitive is a boiler technician, not a trained military operative.
Boiler technician sought over death of police officer in Oviedo
A major search operation is underway in northern Spain following the fatal attack in the Villafría neighbourhood of Oviedo on Tuesday morning. Manuel Ferrero Álvarez, aged 64, is the main suspect following the death of a national police officer and his trained dog, killed by a rucksack bomb placed at the entrance of a residential block.
According to The Olive Press, authorities have clarified that the fugitive is an installer and repairer of heating systems with no military experience whatsoever. Despite earlier rumours suggesting he was a former special forces member or a rogue intelligence agent, the investigation has established that his civilian occupation provided him with the technical knowledge necessary to construct the explosive device: handling of closed pressure systems, gas valves and digital timers.
The incident began at approximately 7:30 in the morning when Ferrero attacked a 17-year-old neighbour, shooting her four to five times in the back and hip. The teenager survived because her father, upon hearing the shots, took her urgently to HUCA hospital in his vehicle, thereby avoiding the waiting times of an ambulance that must wait for the scene to be secured.
After fleeing in a blue Mercedes van whilst wearing a checked coat, Ferrero planted the timed device near the communal letterboxes close to the building's gas pipes. When Sub-Inspector Juan José Rodríguez, aged 60, and his detection dog Deny arrived to inspect the rucksack with flashing lights, the device detonated, causing the death of both.
A bomb disposal specialist aged 53, who had identified the digital timer of the device and was withdrawing to order an evacuation, suffered catastrophic injuries requiring the amputation of a limb.
The investigation is now focusing on how a civilian managed to accumulate restricted explosive precursors without the government licence required by European Union regulations. It is believed that Ferrero may have used commercial connections or the black market to obtain ammonium nitrate from local agricultural stores or abandoned mines.
Known locally as a neighbourhood aggressor with a 15-year history of minor offences, threats and assaults, he had publicly threatened to "blow up the entire building". His Russian partner, Tatiana, has been detained whilst counter-terrorism units, drones and helicopters continue to search the region for the fugitive.
Source: The Olive Press