Serginio S. (27) does not yet want to talk about the ‘coordinating role’ in the explosions at Polish supermarkets that he is suspected of. Later, he does want to “be open”, he said in court today at an introductory hearing. Remarkable, because his lawyer asked the judges to temporarily release S. pending the substantive hearing in January.
With an exculpatory statement, S. could possibly save himself about eight months in prison. He has been in custody for about a year because of his alleged involvement in explosions in Beverwijk and Heeswijk-Dinther in December 2020. The havoc was then enormous.
S. would have directed other suspects around the explosions. For example, he messaged another suspect, Antonio N. in the case via Snapchat with the instruction to ‘drive and wait’† Snapchat messages are visible for only a few seconds.
S. himself was also given the floor today. “Later I want to say more and be open, but not here and now.”
Provisional release
How much more S. will say later remains to be seen. Youssef K. and Amir S., both recently found guilty of laying an unexploded explosive device at the Polish supermarket in Beverwijk, would also like to say more about the organization behind the bombings at the substantive session. When push came to shove, however, they did not want to say anything about the clients.
S.’ lawyer Claartje van Keulen asked for the provisional release of S. today. He is the only one of six suspects who has not yet been released for the time being. “If even a suspect who has confessed to three attacks can await his case in freedomthen I don’t see why my client should stay put.”
No equal monks
The public prosecutor sees reason for this: “There is no question here of equal monks with equal hoods. S.’s role was really different from that of the other suspects, for example he was not a driver. He would have had an organizing role .”
According to the officer, he would therefore be one step higher on the criminal ladder and should not be released. “When the substantive treatment of the case begins, he will be in custody for between one and a half and two years. That is long, but not unreasonably long, for what he is suspected of.” Today or tomorrow the judges will make a decision.
Your own finger in the pie with explosions
It recently became clear that one of the theories in the case file is that owners of the Polish supermarkets themselves could have a finger in the pie in the organization of the explosions.
The substantive treatment of S.’ case will follow in January, says his lawyer Van Keulen. It previously seemed that the six suspects in one case would be tried in February or March 2023, but according to Van Keulen, “the cases may still be pulled apart”.
Six suspects in five explosions
In addition to Serginio S., are Sersinio D.† Hyron A., and Antonio N. and two others suspected in the case of five explosions at Polish supermarkets in Beverwijk (twice), Aalsmeer, Heeswijk-Dinther and Tilburg.
Last month, Youssef K. and Amir S. were convicted of laying a landmine at the same supermarket in Beverwijk six months later. It didn’t go off, but that was more luck than wisdom.