A house in Almere, a restaurant and a business premises in The Hague, a house in Dordrecht and the porch of a residential complex in Rotterdam. Also during the night from Friday to Saturday, local residents were startled by explosions in their neighborhood in at least five places in the Netherlands. As far as we know, no injuries were caused by these explosions, but the trend has been visible for a long time.
Just before the end of the calendar year, the number of incidents involving explosions in the Netherlands was almost three times as high as in 2022. Most explosions took place in the Rotterdam region, followed by Amsterdam and The Hague.
Until December 1, 622 explosions were known to the Dutch police, a spokesperson told ANP on Saturday morning, after NOS reported here had reported about it on Friday evening. In the whole of 2022, 228 explosions were registered in the Netherlands.
Attacks in Vlaardingen
The Rotterdam registrations of explosions also include the recent series of attacks in Vlaardingen. On Thursday night, the property of a Vlaardingen plumber was the suspected target of an attack for the seventh time this year. The man himself has been in hiding for some time. The plumber’s home was already largely boarded up due to an earlier explosion a week earlier. Both his home and several business premises were targeted by attacks this year. The motive of the perpetrators is unknown.
The police announced on Saturday that a 17-year-old Rotterdam resident was arrested on Friday evening as the second suspect in the investigation in Vlaardingen, the ANP reported. He is suspected of involvement in the explosion on Gretha Hofstralaan on Tuesday. He was in the company of a 16-year-old boy on Friday when he was arrested. He had a firearm with him, for which he was also arrested. It is being investigated whether he may also have had something to do with the explosions. The police had previously arrested a 26-year-old Rotterdam resident in connection with this case.
The police notice a clear trend in the Netherlands, whereby explosives serve as a means of intimidation in the criminal environment. The conflicts occur in various criminal circles, from drug trafficking to the trade in illegal clothing. Explosives are also used in attempts to extort people, the police told ANP. “And we also see copycat behavior, for example in relational conflicts.”
Homemade explosives
The National Forensic Coordination Team (LFCT) of the police, which keeps track of the number of incidents involving explosives, stated last summer that homemade and heavier explosives are increasingly being used in Rotterdam, including flash powder.
Earlier this year, Rotterdam mayor Aboutaleb made a connection between the large number of explosions in his city and the number of intercepted drug transports. Many attacks are said to be committed in the city by young criminals over whom the police have little insight. They would plant explosives on behalf of “major criminals,” criminologist Henk Ferwerda said earlier this year in an interview with NRC.
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