Police arrest two suspects in connection with arson of Rotterdam alderman’s home

The police have arrested two suspects on suspicion of involvement in the arson of Rotterdam alderman Faouzi Achbar’s home. One of them will be brought before the examining magistrate on Wednesday, the police confirmed after reporting by the AD. The other suspect, who is also in custody, has yet to be questioned, a police spokesperson said.

A fire was started at the alderman’s home on July 6 last year. The house in Rotterdam-Lombardijen was so damaged that Achbar and his family are still in replacement housing months later. The alderman did not wish to respond to the news of the arrests.

Police shared images of a man who is suspected of starting the fire a year ago. A 43-year-old man was arrested in August but he has since been let go and is not a suspect anymore, the Public Prosecution Service has said.

Footage shows the suspect arriving at the home by bicycle and climbing over the fence. He entered the home via the back door. Police said that he started the fire inside the house. The house was charred black inside, and the interior needed to be renewed. The structure is not affected. Achbar and his family were not home during the fire.

The motives for the arson are still unclear. The investigation is ongoing. Achbar told the regional broadcaster Rijnmond last month that a lot of things were going through his head after hearing the news of the arson, including whether the incident was politically motivated.

"I have a family that I have to protect. I choose politics, but they don’t. Seeing as we don't know where this comes from, I want to wait for the investigation to get more clarity about the reason why someone did this or is capable of something like this. But I won't let it get me down."