House with rainbow flag is target of arson with explosives in Amsterdam Nieuw-West

Perpetrators tried to set fire to a rainbow flag at a house in Amsterdam on Saturday night. According to the police, an explosive may have been used in the hate crime. Nonetheless, the rainbow flag remained untouched despite the attempted fire, as the fire was quickly brought under control. However, the police are still looking for suspects, NOS reported.

Op het trottoir is een vloeistof aangetroffen die korte tijd in brand heeft gestaan. #WNLhttps://t.co/Pjt4oWdfmI

— WNL Vandaag (@WNLVandaag) September 24, 2023

Around 10:15 p.m., the police received a report of a firebomb on Elisabeth Boddaertstraat in Nieuw-West. Reportedly, the rainbow flag hanging from one of the porch houses was the target, a police spokesperson told Amsterdam TV station AT5. Furthermore, local residents told the TV station that the attempted arson attack was followed by homophobic cursing.

The police have been searching for a suspect since Saturday and are asking witnesses to come forward. Furthermore, the Amsterdam police are investigating what substances were used in the incident to set fire to the rainbow flag. Photos show that in front of the house are remains of what appears to be an explosive substance, NH Nieuws wrote.

In total, the Amsterdam police have been alarmed 11 times for explosions in the past week and are therefore concerned about the impact this is having on residents' sense of security in the Dutch capital.