Croatian police have charged two men after an explosive device detonated inside a house, injuring three people and leading investigators to uncover an illegal cache of weapons and military ammunition.
The explosion occurred on Aug. 3 at about 5:50 p.m. in Vodena Draga, in the municipality of Bosiljevo, according to police in Karlovac.
Investigators suspect that a 20-year-old man stored a highly destructive explosive device inside the house and accidentally activated it while handling it in the presence of others.
The young man suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to Zagreb for treatment. A 62-year-old man was seriously injured, while a third man, aged 22, sustained minor injuries.
The blast pierced two opposite walls of the wooden house, scattered furniture and shattered the windscreens of several nearby vehicles.
During a subsequent search, police said they found an assault rifle with five rounds, a grenade launcher, a silencer and 78 rounds of prohibited ammunition at the 62-year-old’s property.
The ammunition included 57 military tracer rounds and 21 armour-piercing incendiary rounds. Officers also found additional ammunition, three rifle barrels, an unlicensed Category B rifle and two undeclared Category C pistols.
The 62-year-old faces criminal charges over the suspected illegal possession, manufacture and acquisition of weapons and explosives.
The 20-year-old was charged with acquiring and storing the explosive device and with negligently endangering lives and property.
Police said some weapons and ammunition legally owned by the younger man were also being stored at the property instead of his registered address, prompting separate proceedings.
Authorities initially investigated whether the blast involved an improvised device or military-grade explosive. Their latest statement did not identify the type of device.