Suspect in fatal Rotterdam explosion released from custody
Jalal O., the 35-year-old man suspected of causing a devastating explosion in an apartment building on Schammenkamp in Rotterdam by operating a drug lab in the garage box, has been released from custody. On Monday, the court ruled that he can await his trial in freedom under conditions. The explosion in January killed three people and caused part of the apartment building to collapse, leaving multiple homes uninhabitable.
The explosion happened on January 29. Three people died, and two were seriously hurt. Emergency services couldn’t immediately retrieve the victims due to a risk of collapse, causing quite a bit of unrest in the neighborhood. At one point, surviving relatives, including O., took matters into their own hands and pulled one of the bodies from the rubble.
O. was arrested a few days later after the authorities found indications of a cocaine washery in the garage box he rented. He has been in custody ever since. Today, the court decided that he could await his trial in freedom. He did have to hand in his passport and is not allowed in the Zuidwijk neighborhood, where the apartment building is located.
According to the court, there is no prospect yet of when the trial against O. will start. His personal interests, therefore, weigh heavily, the judge said, according to ANP. The man himself always denied any involvement in the blast. “The case is becoming increasingly complicated. I want to get on with my life and get back to my wife,” he said in court on Monday.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) did not oppose O.’s release. Immediately after the hearing, the OM announced a 15,000 euro reward for information on how the explosion happened and the drug production in the garage box. “The investigation team assumes that there are people who know more about what happened in the building on the Schammenkamp, where hard drugs were likely produced, and who was involved,” the OM said.
