Disturbed man commits suicide after causing an explosion

A mentally disturbed man committed suicide after causing an explosion in his home in Noordscheschut on Thursday night, the police said in a statement.

The police and mental health workers went to the man's home on Kosterstraat on Thursday afternoon because he had to be institutionalized.  The man locked himself into his house and threatened to start a fire.

As a precaution, the police evacuated the surrounding homes and called in a negotiator. The negotiator tried to talk his way into the home, but to no avail.

When it became clear that the negotiator was not working, a SWAT team was sent in. Shortly after the team entered, there was an explosion in the home. Firefighters managed to quickly extinguish the resulting fire.

The SWAT team searched the house for the man and found him dead in the attic. He committed suicide, according to the police.

The man's house was closed off and the police investigated the cause of the explosion. Neighbours were let back into their homes after the fire department took measurements and determined that there were no dangerous substances in the air.