The EOD is on edge now, not only in Amsterdam, but throughout the Netherlands, a trend can be seen of criminals using homemade explosives more often.
Explosives, catering establishments and homes; in Amsterdam it had already been hit twelve times in the past month. Whether the EOD also comes into play with explosives that have already been detonated, that is up to the police, explains Major Peter at the EOD base in Soesterberg: “We can provide technical assistance and support where we assist with the start-up of the criminal investigation.”
In principle, the number of explosive attacks is decreasing nationally, according to the service, and fewer hand grenades are used. In contrast, the use of homemade explosives to attack homes or businesses is increasing. Last year, the EOD called out a total of eleven times for such a report, in 2022 already twenty-two times. “And in a hand grenade, there’s about 40 grams of explosive. What you see, in these improvised explosive devices, we’re talking 600 to 1000 grams.”
AT5 was given a demonstration at the army base of how the EOD deploys with explosives robot tEODor.