In the night from Thursday to Friday, an explosion took place for the third time within one week at a house on Jan Luikenstraat in Oosterhout. Mayor Gerdo van Grootheest has had enough. He has designated the street as a safety risk area and has extra cameras installed. “We are doing everything we can to make this stop.”
“It’s horrible what’s going on here,” says Van Grootheest. “It has a huge impact on the neighborhood. You will also notice this when you talk to residents.”
An elderly man lives in the stricken house, who was shaken by the explosions. Last Friday there were two explosions at the home of 90-year-old Piet, just further down the same street.
“You just don’t get the time to recover,” says Piet. “I’m just going my own way again. I’m trying to find the rhythm again.” But that’s not easy when the rest of the street is also ravaged by explosions. “They use heavy equipment, it looks like an attack.”
Four days after the explosion at Piet’s house, an explosive was found at an adjacent house. That house has also been closed by the mayor and crowd barriers have been placed in the garden of the house.
Additional measures
According to the mayor, the police, together with the Public Prosecution Service, have promised that the investigation has top priority. “We have now closed a house and there will be extra camera surveillance,” says Van Grootheest. An alley adjacent to the street will also be additionally illuminated and the area has been designated as a safety risk area. This means that the police may carry out preventive searches.
“You want to feel safe in your own neighborhood,” says the mayor. He has just come from the affected homes. The hole in the front door has now been boarded up with a wooden plate to keep out the biting cold. “It affects me enormously. That’s why I’m here. We’re doing everything we can to make this stop.”
Mistake
Piet is sure he was not the target. “It was a mistake, they had to have another door,” he says. But after several incidents in a short period of time, his sense of security has been affected. “They use heavy equipment, so what is still safe?”
A group of local residents stand in the snow on the street talking about last night’s events. “It feels very random,” says one man. “Mostly older people live here and nothing else happens here that is unacceptable.”
“We are really struggling with it,” he continues. According to residents, it is the loud bangs that keep the neighborhood in their grip. “You are constantly alert and sometimes it keeps you awake.”
Despite everything, Piet says he doesn’t sleep any worse. “I don’t argue with anyone. Just ask the neighbors,” says the 90-year-old with a small smile.
