Netherlands Terrorized by Small-Scale Bombings
On an ordinary evening in the Netherlands, about three tremors of terror reverberate across the serene, orderly lanes, jolting residents from their sleep. Despite the country’s gentle reputation as a land of tulips and bicycles, these blasts, a disconcerting reminder of latent animosities, are becoming a day-to-day recurrence. Such smaller-scale explosions, usually enabled by illegal fireworks powerful enough to mimic a hand grenade, have instilled burgeoning apprehension in a society that values calm and restraint.
Arend Zwarthof, a resident of Duivendrecht, a tranquil suburb of Amsterdam, experienced first-hand the resonance of these startling explosions. He confesses that in his five-and-a-half decades of living across the street from the building hit by one such explosion last month, he hadn’t witnessed anything quite as unnerving. No casualties were reported, but the impact was such that it shattered windows and inflicted considerable damage to twelve apartments.
These explosions have significantly impacted various regions across the Netherlands, instilling fear in the hearts of its residents, undermining their livelihoods, and occasionally resulting in loss of lives or injuries. In just the first half of the present year, government agencies registered nearly 700 such eruptions. Initially, organized crime syndicates and drug cartels, using hand grenades as a menacing tool for vendetta, were believed to be behind these occurrences.
However, law enforcement expresses a worrying concern: other individuals have adopted this alarmingly aggressive technique. They are reportedly using these hazardous, black-market fireworks in personal disputes involving relationships, families, and even business feuds. Jonathan Lindenkamp, a temporary security guard stationed in Duivendrecht after an explosion on July 12, considers this a disturbing normalization of abnormal behavior. The authorities are still investigating the incident, which has not led yet to any arrests or known motives.
Despite being illegal, these high-yield fireworks are alarmingly accessible. The regulations governing the use and storage of fireworks in the Netherlands are more lenient than in other European nations. This laxity is evident in the hefty amounts the locals spend on their grand New Year’s Eve firework displays.
In the last month of the previous year, a significant explosion ignited a blaze which culminated in the partial collapse of a three-story apartment block in The Hague, infamously traced back to a disgruntled ex-lover up in arms against his former girlfriend’s bridal shop. This unfortunate incident resulted in six deaths, and law enforcement arrested four individuals in connection to it. In a separate but equally tragic incident, an explosion sparked a deadly fire in which two individuals and three canines perished, the result of a conflict between a dog breeder and a disgruntled client in Vroomshoop.
Dr. Liem, a professor at Leiden University, busts the myth that these bombings are solely orchestrated by organized criminals. Since the inception of 2024, at least 35 people have sustained injuries due to these blasts, with three victims suffering serious injuries including an individual who had to undergo an amputation. As law enforcement scrambles to identify and arrest the culprits, the instances of such bombings continue to emerge relentlessly.
Statistically, the year of 2022 recorded just over 340 explosions, predominantly tied to illicit drug operations and other organized criminal activities. However, this number escalated to 901 in 2023, then dramatically peaked to 1,244 in 2024. The ongoing year threatens to dwarf these already worrying figures, with the majority of the recent blasts not linked to organized crime. Amsterdam’s chief public prosecutor, René de Beukelaer, underscores this national predicament as a rapidly growing problem that isn’t showing signs of receding.
Dr. Liem observes that while several European countries witness smaller-scale bombings — due to gang disputes in Sweden or political discord in Germany, the frequency and per capita incidence of blasts in the Netherlands are highly unusual. Most of these attacks are motivated by a need for intimidation in petty personal conflicts. Carola Schouten, Rotterdam’s mayor and head of a national task force addressing the issue classifies it as a ‘multi-headed monster’ owing to its complicated nature and varying motives.
Authorities report the striking trend of using the Telegram messaging application to orchestrate these bombings. People can easily procure illegal fireworks and recruit ‘placers’, usually males in their teens or early twenties, to position the explosives. The fee for such an unscrupulous service typically falls within a few hundred euros.
Although the brunt of these blasts is borne by densely populated cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, recent statistics highlight that these incidents have affected all twelve provinces of the country. Even the town of Baarn, a cozy enclave nestled among forests and a relatively short drive from Amsterdam, experienced nine attempted bombings and one successful explosion within the first seven months of the year.
These incidents induce a palpable dread in the society, as expressed by Baarn’s vice mayor, Steven de Vries, among residents and business owners alike. Despite managing to make 163 arrests associated with the explosions in the first half of the year, the Dutch police face challenges cracking down on the suppliers of the explosives and those who sanction these bombings from behind encrypted Telegram chats.
In a case bearing testament to the terror unleashed by these bombings, a plumber from Vlaardingen, a suburban town in Rotterdam, was targeted by at least 28 explosive devices repeatedly over several months. Although the bombings ceased in August 2024 after the plumber died due to what was reported as a cardiac issue, the perpetrators remained at large and thus unidentified.
Vlaardingen’s mayor, Bert Wijbenga, imagines the culprits escaping justice while enjoying their leisure time in stark contrast with the victims. Regardless of the efforts made by the authorities and the community, the orchestrators of these incidents manage to elude capture, perpetuating fear and uncertainty among those living in the grip of these unforeseen hazards.
The tale of the Netherlands today is a far cry from its idyllic portrayal of tulips and bicycles. Residents grapple with the harsh reality of these small-scale bombings that have mechanized fear, altering the fabric of their lives. The country faces an enormous task ahead, to rectify its image and bring peace, security, and tranquility back to its streets and its people.
A society that values peace, order, and levelheadedness, the Netherlands finds itself in turmoil, a victim of aggression it had to confront from within. Its challenge now lies in reclaiming its tranquility while ensuring justice for those affected by these explosions. The battle isn’t against just a physical adversary but also against the fear, apathy, and complacency that breed in the shadows of these unexpected terrors.