The three men, Shannon H. (25) from Amsterdam and the brothers Kerim (25) and Aydin (24) van D. from Heerhugowaard and Alkmaar, were not present at the verdict in the Haarlem court. They are not obliged to do so either. During the previous substantive hearing of their case, the trio remained tight-lipped about the explosions.
Criminal organization
According to the judges, the fact that none of them have been open about their affairs and have not taken responsibility is not to their advantage. According to the court, the three were part of a criminal organization.
An organization that recruited vulnerable minors via Snapchat to detonate ‘Cobra bombs’ at several homes and buildings in Alkmaar. This concerns (attempted) explosions and arson in, among others, Zijperstraat, Lekstraat and Baansingel.
“They took no risks themselves and let others do the dirty work,” the judge said. The explosions then had to be filmed and the registrations sent to the clients. According to the court, this exploitation aggravates the punishment. In addition, they are accused of knowingly taking the risk that people would be injured or put their lives in danger.
Conflict causes explosions
A conflict with someone from Alkmaar is the reason for the explosions. “But the trio gave no insight into what exactly the argument would be about,” the judge accused them.
“The explosions had a major impact on those directly involved and local residents, but also on the city of Alkmaar in general. The fear and anxiety among citizens was great.” The judge noted as a striking fact that it has been ‘quiet’ in the city since the arrest of the three.
For Shannon H.’s share, he is even punished slightly more severely than demanded: ten years and six months. 294 Cobras 6 were also found at the Amsterdammer. The brothers received a slightly lower sentence than demanded: Aydin eight years and Kerim five years. They are seen, among other things, as the founder and manager of the criminal organization.