Later today, the mayor will answer press questions about the explosion at a house on the Roef in Huizen. The incident has turned the normally quiet village upside down and little information is coming out. What do we know now?
In the night of Saturday 9 July to Sunday 10 July around 1.50 am, the explosion took place at the house on the Roef. There were no casualties, but the house was badly damaged, including damage to the neighbors. The police are currently investigating the explosion, but the municipality says it has strong indications that the explosion is related to a quarrel within the drug environment.
What preceded
Last Sunday, July 3, Mayor Niek Meijer decided to close two homes on the Roef until July 13. The police and the Public Prosecution Service said that the inhabitants of the houses were threatened and that there would be immediate danger for the residents and local residents. What exactly this threat entailed is still unknown.
Immediately after the closure, the residents of the two homes were housed in a safe location. The neighborhood was guarded after the closure by special police units that also carried automatic weapons.
On July 4, the municipality announced that it was scaling down the security around the two homes. The ‘threat picture’ had been reduced to such an extent that the special surveillance unit would no longer be necessary, the municipality stated in consultation with the Public Prosecution Service. The municipality did say that ‘intensified surveillance’ will remain and that the police would be extra present in the area. The houses remained closed.
On Thursday 7 July, a man was arrested as part of an investigation into the explosions in Hoef en Haag and Tienhoven in Utrecht, who is believed to be involved in the threat to the homes in Huizen. It concerned a 42-year-old man from The Hague.
After the explosion
After the explosion in the night from Saturday to Sunday, a closed meeting for local residents was organized in the Thomaskerk on Sunday evening. About 150 residents, the mayor, two aldermen, the police and two boas were present. It is not clear what exactly was discussed, but ‘intense discussions’ were held in this almost two-hour session, according to Mayor Meijer.
It is not known how the residents of the two homes are doing, after the explosion, the lawyers for the residents of the two homes did not want to say anything. However, the resident of the house where the explosion took place has received a restraining order. This is for safety reasons, the municipality said.
Security has also been scaled up again with visible and invisible security measures.