Suspects in Hague apartment explosion & fire that killed 6 will remain jailed for now
The four suspects who were arrested in connection with the fatal explosion and fire at an apartment complex in The Hague were ordered to remain in pre-trial detention during their arraignment hearing before the district court in that city on Tuesday. The four are suspected of intentionally causing an explosion with life-threatening consequences, arson with a threat of property damage for allegedly setting a vehicle on fire, and preparatory acts to carry out the crimes a week earlier in Oosterhout.
The suspects are 33-year-old Moshtag B. living in Rotterdam, a 33-year-old Oosterhout man named Adil, and two men from Roosendaal. They are believed to be cousins named Mourad, 29, and Ilyas, 23. Moshtag B. is believed to be from Afghanistan, but grew up in Roosendaal. All three cities are within a short drive of each other.
The explosion and fire on December 7 left six people dead, and four others wounded. One young boy rescued early in the response lost his parents and only sister in the blaze. The fire took the life of 31-year-old Tim who was visiting a friend, Greek civil engineer Vikel Kamperai who was hoping his wife and children would soon join him at his home on Tarwekamp, and a 63-year-old man living at the building whose wife survived with injuries.
She was hospitalized along with a man who owned a bar in one of the ground floor commercial spaces. He had fallen asleep in the cellar, as did one of his loyal customers. That man was also treated by hospital staff.
Investigators have spoken anonymously to several news outlets, saying they believe the motive is related to an argument between the owner of a bridal shop on Tarwekamp and her ex-boyfriend, Moshtag B. Though the two may have been broken up for some time, it is believed they had a more recent falling out over an attempt to sell her white Range Rover.
Several media outlets have alleged that B. is being investigated as the mastermind, and that he asked Adil to arrange for the violence to take place. All four men appeared in a closed-door court hearing on Tuesday, though arraignments are normally open to the public.
"I was just devastated with grief when the full extent of the attack became clear. Only later did the pieces of the puzzle fall into place,” the bridal shop owner told the Telegraaf in an interview last week. “I hardly go outside. I hardly sleep and I worry all day long. ‘Why? Why? Why?’ I keep asking myself. How can people be so cruel as to do this to others?”
The bridal shop is believed to be the point of the explosion, which resulted in the building complex catching on fire. She said she also considers herself to be among the victims, and her attorney wants investigators to determine if the explosion was an attempt to murder B.'s ex-girlfriend. Her Range Rover was found destroyed by fire also close to the scene of the December 7 explosion.
On December 1, the suspects are believed to have taken preparatory action to commit a crime while they were in Oosterhout, which the OM disclosed on Tuesday. It was previously reported that the two cousins from Roosendaal were caught with jerry cans and explosives on November 29 in a shopping mall parking lot in Oosterhout, but they were released from custody.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) ordered the suspects to remain in restricted custody, where they may only communicate with their attorney. For the time being, the OM will not comment on the alleged motive. "The investigation into the cause of the explosion and the role of suspects in it is continuing in full," the OM said after the hearing.
"Among other things, various people are still being questioned, including the suspects themselves and various witnesses. In addition, all manner of forensic research is still taking place." The office said they want the suspects to remain in restricted custody to preserve the integrity of the investigation. The OM has imposed a gag order on its own staff at least until the investigation advances further.
