Giovanni Zippo, 40, a security guard from Turin, has been arrested for allegedly causing the explosion that destroyed a building in via Nizza on June 30. He is currently hospitalized in the burns unit at the CTO hospital after sustaining serious injuries in the blast.
Investigators believe Zippo entered the building at night carrying a bag, reaching a vacant apartment where the explosion was triggered. Surveillance footage and witness accounts led to his arrest. Firefighters had initially focused on rescuing the injured, unaware of the intentional act. The attack was reportedly aimed at his former partner, who lived in the building but was away on holiday. The explosion instead killed Jacopo Peretti, 33, a management graduate who worked in energy consulting and was a Torino football fan. A memorial mass is being held in his hometown, Mazzé, while funeral authorization is pending.
Five others were injured, including a 6-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, and 45 residents were evacuated. Zippo, defended by lawyer Basilio Foti, is under investigation for malicious disaster and voluntary homicide. It may not have been his first unauthorized entry into the building.
