Three suspects arrested for explosion on Eilandje: attack against empty building of fruit company that imports bananas | Drug war in Antwerp

The Antwerp police confirm that the neighborhood was startled by a loud bang. “Our patrols have established a perimeter for the forensic investigation. There is damage to the front door and facade of the building. No one was injured,” said police spokesman Willem Migom.

It had become relatively quiet in the past two weeks after the wave of attacks at the end of August. The fruit company Leon Van Parys (Elvepe), which was targeted this morning, has been importing exotic fruit from South America since the 1930s. Especially loads of bananas come to Antwerp via Elvepe. The Antwerp company is now part of the Ecuadorian company Exportadora Bananera Noboa.

Fruit shipments and certainly containers with bananas from South America are often used by the drug mafia to hide cocaine loads.

The hall that was targeted this morning has been empty for several years. Since 2020, a real estate company has been looking for tenants for the building that houses, among other things, an iconic auction room.

The few witnesses in the morning saw nothing suspicious in the vicinity of Zeevaartstraat. Manager Rudi Van de Woestijnse of sandwich shop Allez Mongee on Hessenplein: “Around 5 o’clock I was cutting vegetables for the sandwiches. The door of the case was open. Suddenly there was that loud bang. I walked out but saw nothing. Not even a cloud of dust or fire or anything. I didn’t see anyone running or driving either. It was only when the fire brigade passed by with a siren a little later that I saw that there had been an explosion.”

The Antwerp police did spot a getaway car. The car set course for the Netherlands. The description was sent to colleagues from the Rotterdam police. An arrest team was waiting for the getaway car on Groenekruisweg in South Rotterdam.

“Three suspects have been arrested and will be handed over to the Antwerp court. It concerns a man aged 19 from Zoetermeer and two men aged 21 and 22 from The Hague. Their car is being subjected to a trace investigation,” said a spokesman for the Rotterdam-Rijnmond police. The Dutch police do not want to say whether there were weapons or other suspicious material in the car.

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