AK47 fired in Rotterdam residential neighborhood on New Year's

A video showing a man firing an AK47 in a residential neighborhood in Rotterdam Zuid over New Year's led to the arrests of two men for illegal firearm possession, the police said in a statement. The video was found on a phone confiscated for another investigation.

The video shows a man shooting the automatic rifle in the air with fireworks going off in the background. The residents of the Rotterdam neighborhood seemingly did not notice the gunshots due to the fireworks being lit by others. 

On Monday, February 24, a team of investigators searched two homes in Beverwaard. They seized an AK47, a Russian machine gun, a Glock with drum holder, and associated ammunition in one of the homes.

Two Rotterdam residents, aged 19 and 21, were arrested for illegal firearm possession. They were both arraigned last week Wednesday. The older suspect was remanded into custody for further investigation. The younger suspect was released, but remains a suspect.

The police also identified the man firing the gun in the video. The 28-year-old man from Rotterdam was already in custody for another offense. He is now also a suspect in this crime, the police said.