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Thursday, 14 August 2014 - 09:22
WWII weapons cache gets father, son arrested
After discovering ads for weapons and ammunition online, police in Dussen, Noord-Brabant, found that a 51-year-old father and his 20-year-old son were sitting on an entire arsenal of weapons dating back to the Second World War, hidden in their home. They have been arrested.
The Dussen residents placed an ad on Marktplaats, offering various weapons for sale from their stock. On Tuesday, police officers went to the home with explosives specialists from the Landelijke Eenheid as well as an Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit to investigate the home.
Officers found a weapons arsenal including 16 hand grenades, some of which still contained explosive material. The EOD has seized these and detonated them. Officers also found a German machine gun, a BB gun, and around 30 other items of ammunition and grenades. These items have been seized pending an investigation to see whether possession of these items is a criminal offense.
Collectors of Second World War weapons are not engaging in entirely illegal activity in possessing weapons. Certain weapons and munition are allowed. The grenades destroyed by the EOD are not, however, legal.