37-year-old man with no residence or domicile suspected of attack on D66 office

©Fer Troulik via Unsplash

A little after 9 p.m. on Thursday night, a violent bang was heard at the D66 party office on Lange Houtstraat in The Hague. A fireworks bomb was thrown through the mailbox. This caused damage to the front door and inside the building. At the time of the attack, about 30 young Democrats were inside for a speakers' evening, but no one was injured. The perpetrator has since been apprehended, and more information about the man is trickling in.

Police detained a suspect a good hour after the attack and are investigating it as possible assault or intimidation. Meanwhile, it is known that the suspect is a 37-year-old man with no residence. Police reported this in a press release. Police are investigating the motive and looking into whether the man acted alone.

Prime Minister Rob Jetten has already called it a "cowardly act of intimidation." He referred to it as "a hopeless action." "Pretty hopeless if you think you can intimidate politicians with this kind of action. We really won't be silenced." The prime minister spoke to the press on Friday before the start of the Council of Ministers.

It is not yet known what the motive was for throwing the fireworks bomb. Prime Minister Jetten points out that it's not only about D66, but that "every week there are attempts" to intimidate, for example, city council members, mayors, police or ambulance men. "But you also fortunately saw last night that most Dutch people make it very clear that we absolutely do not accept this in our country and that this is not a country where you can get your way by force. This absolutely does not fit with Dutch norms and values."

Jetten condemned the attack on social media: "For those who think they can instill fear, I have a message: we in democratic Holland never allow ourselves to be silenced by violence."

©Fer Troulik via Unsplash - illustration image