Firebomb thrown into Amsterdam restaurant

A firebomb was thrown into restaurant Hotel Buiten on Sloterplas in Amsterdam on Friday night. Three employees of the restaurant had to go to hospital with hearing problems after the explosion. "Fortunately no permanent damage to staff or guests, but we are of course very shocked and we have no idea who is responsible for this", the restaurant management said in a letter stuck to the restaurant's door, Het Parool reports.

The incident happened around 11:15 p.m. At that time two employees were cleaning up, a third employee was busy in the kitchen, and around 6 customers were still in the restaurant, manager Mark Jansen of Hotel Buiten said to the newspaper. 

Surveillance camera footage shows one of the employees walking to the open door of the staff entrance, according to Het Parool. Suddenly a bottle lands right in front of her. She looks at it for a moment, until the projectile starts to smoke. She and another employee runs to the corner of the bar, some three meters away. A few seconds later there is a violent explosion and a fire. 

"It was quite an explosion. The employees had problems with their hears and had to go to the hospital", Jansen said to the newspaper. The fire was extinguished by his employees, the few remaining guests and a passerby. He has no idea why his restaurant was targeted. There are no quarrels, threats, intimidation or other problems, he said. 

The police are investigating the incident. At this stage the police can't say what type of explosive was used. A police spokesperson described it as a "powerful projectile" to Het Parool.

Jansen is pressing charges. "This is attempted manslaughter on my staff", he said to the newspaper. The restaurant was closed on Saturday evening, so that the staff could discuss what happened. It reopened as usual on Sunday, though a planned party for Hotel Buiten's first birthday was canceled.