Bystanders detain suspect in latest Rotterdam explosion

The latest explosion in Rotterdam happened at a shisha lounge on ‘s-Gravendijkwal at around 3:45 a.m. on Thursday. Bystanders managed to grab and detain one of the suspects until the police arrived to arrest him, the police said.

Two people were reportedly in the shisha lounge when the explosive went off, but nobody got hurt. The blast did not do much damage, only leaving a few soot smears behind.

💥explosie bij #shishalounge aan ‘s Gravendijkwal - drie mannen weggerend, één aangehouden - lees meer over de meer dan 100 explosies dit jaar in #Rotterdam en regio op @RTV_Rijnmond https://t.co/07N2r1jinA pic.twitter.com/r7jMirxIh5

— Jacco van Giessen (@jaccovangiessen) August 10, 2023

Bystanders saw three men approach the catering establishment, bend down, and immediately run away. The explosion happened a few seconds later.

Witnesses ran after the suspects and managed to grab one of them on Heemraadsingel. The police arrested him, a 23-year-old man from Rotterdam. The other two suspects are still at large.

Last week saw the 100th explosive attack on a home or business in the Rotterdam region. In all of 2022, there were 49 such explosions.