Skip to main content
Netherlands News in English

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
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

Share this article:

Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window

"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.

More like this

Image
Crime scene tape with a police car in the background
Third hand grenade hits Spijkenisse home in a month
Image
A police officer sweeping up glass from a window shattered in an explosive attack
Fewer explosive attacks in first half of 2026 after years of increase
Image
Man wanted for placing an explosive on a shelf in a Plus supermarket in Eschmarke, Enschede, on 13 March 2026. It exploded just after midnight on 17 March 2026
Video: Explosive lay on Enschede supermarket's shelf for 3 days before exploding
Image
Police officer cordoning off a crime scene
Tanning salon owner subjected to years of violence wants more aid for entrepreneurs
Make NL Times your top Google source

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Foundation damage to nearly 425,000 buildings could cost Netherlands €54 billion by 2035
  • Dutchman found dead in hotel room in Germany; Crime suspected
  • Video: More than 70 report discrimination at the start of WorldPride in Amsterdam
  • 4 Dutch family members missing after Lake Malawi boat crossing have now been found
  • Video: Dutch farmers protest government nitrogen plans along major highways

Top stories

  • Memorial service in Amsterdam tomorrow for victims of attack on Pride Berlin
  • Groningen struck by another gas extraction earthquake; 1.6 magnitude in Sappemeer
  • Homes vandalized in Noord-Brabant towns as part of campaign against asylum shelter
  • Amsterdam mayor plans extra Pride security measures after 1 killed in Berlin
  • Dutch man missing on Lake Como after diving to save son; Small kids left on boat adrift

© 2012-2026, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Change Privacy Settings
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Partner Content