A firebomb was thrown early this morning at a restaurant/café on the Koemarkt in Purmerend. Police have cordoned off the area and are investigating. No one was injured. It is not yet clear whether this attack is related to the previous series of attacks in Purmerend.
“I heard a huge bang around five o’clock this morning,” a local resident told NH News. “And that wasn’t a thunderstorm, I knew that right away.”
Just after five this morning, the police received a report of a fire on the Koemarkt. Later it became clear that a bang had also been heard. The fire service was able to quickly extinguish the fire. The damage seems to be limited to the front door and some patio chairs.
The local resident sometimes came to the café, he explains. “But I have never seen or heard anything that could lead to this kind of action.”
Sequence of attacks
Shortly after the explosion, the police arrested a person, “but it turned out that he had nothing to do with it,” said a police spokesman.
Purmerend has been ravaged for some time by multiple attacks with incendiary bombs or shooting incidents. “But it is still too early to say whether this is also related to this,” says the spokesperson. “The owner has yet to file a report.”
“These kinds of actions usually happen during a conflict in the criminal circuit, so we will include it in the investigation,” the spokesperson explains. Police cordoned off the area for investigation and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.