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Dutch police car
Dutch police car - Credit: Photo: Politie
Crime
Zwolle
Hanselaarmate
hand grenade
explosive
explosion
Bruut
Bob Kooistra
police
Wednesday, 27 February 2019 - 12:00

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"I'm not a bad guy", Zwolle man targeted with hand grenades says

Two hand grenades that exploded on Hanselaarmate in Zwolle on Tuesday morning, seem to be aimed at Rob Kooistra, owner of Zwolle nightclub Bruut. In October last year, a hand grenade was also tied to the door of his club. The man believes the hand grenades are intended to ensure that his club can't reopen. "I'm not a bad guy", Kooistra said to De Stentor. "I can't do anything about this and I find it regrettable that there are people who have a negative opinion about this."

The explosions on Tuesday happened at the home of Kooistra's father Piet Kooistra, a police officer in Zwolle. They damaged five homes and three cars, the police confirmed. The police are not treating the incident as an attack against the police, according to the newspaper. But as a police officer and his family are the victims, special procedures apply. For example, the case is not investigated by local detectives, but by a regional investigation team to ensure impartiality.

Bob Kooistra called the incident a "cowardly attack". He doesn't have any real enemies, he said to the newspaper. "It can always be that people do not like me so much and do not like that I own that business", he said referring to nightclub Bruut. "If they can't take me on at work, they'll do it in my private life." He suspects that the grenades came from the same person who hung a grenade on the club's door in October, resulting in the club being closed by the municipality pending police investigation. But these are just speculations. "From now on I am fully relying on the police, who are investigating."

When asked why he thinks hand grenades were set of at his parents' home, Kooistra said: "It seems that there are people who want to prevent Bruut from opening again. I can not draw another conclusion.

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