Suspects in carbide cannon incident turn themselves in: "it happened by accident"

The twelve men who turned themselves in to the police on Friday after an incident with a carbide cannon in the Frisian town of Joure stated that it happened by accident. The cannon caused significant damage to a hotel, shattering almost all its windows.

The twelve suspects, aged 20 to 27, said they were headed for a carbide shooting site further down the road, but the gun went off prematurely.

They turned themselves in at the police station on Friday afternoon. They were questioned and were then allowed to go home, pending further steps. “It speaks to their advantage that they came to report themselves,” said a police spokeswoman.

The cannon has been confiscated and will be destroyed.