Fireworks bombings force Deventer family from their home; Two other homes also hit
A Dutch-Turkish family in Deventer fled their home on Monday after two separate firework bomb attacks over the weekend. Police responsible for surveilling the neighborhood said it was not safe to remain in the home, according to broadcaster RTV Oost.
In both instances, unknown people placed the heavy explosives in the mail slot of the family home. The first attack took place around 2:50 a.m. on Saturday, when two separate Cobra fireworks, banned in the Netherlands, were tossed inside. One blew up, filling the home with smoke, while the other unexploded device was taken by police as evidence.
A second attack occurred in the early morning hours of Monday when an explosion blew apart the door frame, and several windows were shattered. The force of the explosion sent the parts of the mail slot onto the roof of a neighboring building. Firefighters were called to the street at about 3:42 a.m.
The home has suffered interior damage, including to the walls, doorways, and also exterior damage to the building facade. "The residents can no longer stay in their home due to the state of their home," police said on social media.
It was not revealed if the family, including father, mother, and three children, were targeted. Authorities are asking neighbors on the Hungerstraat to turn over any surveillance camera footage they have.
Firework bombings on Sunday night and Monday morning also damaged homes in Roosendaal and Sluiskil. In the Roosendaal case it involved fireworks thrown through a mailbox, and in Sluiskil the explosive was placed in the hole in a piece of particle board covering up a window.
""There are holes in the ceiling, the walls are torn, the doors of my cupboards have been blown out and I no longer have a letterbox left," said Roosendaal victim Regina Wierickx, speaking with BN De Stem.
There were no injuries in either case.