The municipality closed four De Pizzabakkers stores in September, after explosives had gone off at several of the chain’s buildings in the previous weeks. Last month, the judge ruled that two branches could open again: the business on Plantage Kerklaan and the restaurant on Haarlemmerdijk. The reason: the damage at the first was so extensive that it was not possible to receive customers and there had never been any explosions at the branch on Haarlemmerdijk.
Two branches remained closed because the risk of another explosion there was still too great. Now those closures have also been lifted by Halsema.
Relief
The reopening was a great relief for the owners last month. They opposed the closure several times, first in the municipal council and later in court. According to them, the company was losing 10,000 euros every month and bankruptcy was on the horizon.
Co-owner Siang-Lan Go told AT5 after the court ruling: “This gives a little bit of hope. We fought a lot and were still somewhat right.” The motive for the explosions is still unclear – the owners of De Pizzabakkers say they don’t know either. “There is someone around who hates us so much that he wants to destroy us and our company,” they previously told the city council.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested in the case in September. He was caught red-handed by the camera surveillance when he tried to place an explosive on Plantage Kerklaan. And last week, a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of involvement in that attempt.