Stolen army truck used in joyride on Dutch Defense base
A "disturbed white man" stole an army truck from the Oirschot military base and took it for a joyride through Eindhoven, Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said to parliament on Wednesday. The 21-year-old man from Veldhoven brought the truck back later that night and was arrested. He is still in custody, ANP reports.
The man stole an access pass and a universal key for a Scania from the unattended backpack of a soldier busy with training on the Oirschotse Heide, Hennis said. He then went to the barracks and took the truck. During his joy ride, the young man crashed into a gate and damaged a number of parked cars.
He eventually returned the truck to the Generaal-Majoor de Ruyter van Steveninck barracks, where he was arrested. The man is still in custody. The Koninklijke Marechaussee - a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military - is investigating. According to the Minister's information, the man was not able to access any weapons or ammunition at the barracks.
"The case has nothing to do with jihadists or terrorism", Hennis said. She made this revelation during a parliamentary debate on a previous incident at Volkel air base - a man previously convicted of trying to join ISIS in Syria was arrested there in May.
"This was a group of soldiers who went to practice, but with potentially huge consequences", Hennis said. The battalion commander ordered a disciplinary enquiry, and "very rightly" so, she added. According to her, the base "responded adequately" to the incident.
