False Leads And Road Checks: Search Continues For Fugitive Responsible For Explosive That Killed A Police Officer In Spain

The police are continuing their relentless search for Manuel F. A., the 64-year-old man suspected of carrying out the attack that shocked Oviedo, in Asturias, northern Spain, on Tuesday. The suspect planted an explosive device inside a backpack, killing one police officer and seriously injuring another, who remains hospitalized. Officers have been searching for more than 24 hours. Police sources say investigators have pursued several false leads and are conducting roadblocks with the assistance of the Spanish Civil Guard.

The fugitive has a criminal record containing around 10 previous offenses involving ordinary criminal activity, according to several police sources, including theft and minor assault. Some investigators are therefore puzzled by the severity of the incident, as Manuel F. A. did not appear to fit the profile of a particularly dangerous individual.

The events unfolded shortly after 7 a.m. on Tuesday when, following an alleged argument with a 17-year-old neighbor in a building on Rafael Urrusti Street in the Villafría neighborhood, he reportedly shot her five times. It has yet to be determined whether the projectiles were bullets fired from a firearm or some other type of ammunition. The young woman was injured but is recovering at the Central University Hospital of Asturias. Access to the building remains restricted, and several residents have been evacuated.

Police launched an operation in the Asturian capital to track down the fugitive after discovering a backpack containing a homemade explosive device in the entrance hall of the building in the Villafría neighborhood. As officers attempted to handle the device in order to deactivate it, a police sub-inspector from the force’s canine unit, named Juan José Rodríguez Rodríguez, who was nearing retirement, was killed instantly. A member of the TEDAX unit—the police’s elite squad specializing in the detection, neutralization, and deactivation of explosive devices—suffered serious injuries to one leg.

The operation launched in response, which involved setting up checkpoints at all exits from the Principality of Asturias and at the bus and train stations in Oviedo and Gijón, is temporary in nature, according to the police sources consulted. As time passes, they explain, the chances of finding the fugitive through such measures diminish.

The checkpoints remained in place throughout the night, although the search area has expanded beyond Oviedo, the sources said. “Searches are also being conducted in nearby towns,” one police source explained. Nearly 100 officers are involved in the operation. The provincial intelligence brigade, homicide squad, and judicial police are also participating in the investigation.

Asturias Chief of Police Jordi Moreno said in remarks to the media on Wednesday that the force’s absolute priority is to “arrest the person responsible for the shooting,” according to the news agency Europa Press. Regarding the condition of the injured TEDAX officer, who remains hospitalized, Moreno said he was “stable” after spending many hours in surgery, although his injuries are serious and there is a risk he could lose sight in one eye.

The partner of the main suspect was arrested on Tuesday morning. During questioning, she reportedly provided a location where the man might be found, but officers were unable to locate him there. Sources confirmed that she remains in custody.

The National Police are concerned that Manuel F. A. may be armed. Some sources say he is carrying both a handgun and a long gun, and they have not ruled out the possibility that he may also be carrying additional explosives. Officers are using drones to survey the area. According to several police sources, investigators have also received calls reporting possible sightings that they believe to be false from people who think they spotted the fugitive after his photograph was published in the media. Images show a thin, bald, clean-shaven man of athletic build and average height.

The explosion also killed Deny, a three-year-old German shepherd police dog who was working alongside the officer who died.

The Oviedo City Council has declared two days of mourning, and political parties in Asturias have decided to suspend their pre-election campaigning in the region. In a post on X, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also said he was “deeply shocked” by the officer’s death.

The Buenavista Police Headquarters in Oviedo will host an official funeral for the deceased sub-inspector on Thursday. The ceremony will be held behind closed doors. “You have to have tremendous strength of character, be a good person, and be a good police officer to show up for work today after experiencing what happened yesterday,” the chief of police in Asturias added in his remarks, praising the officers’ work.