Nine sentenced for gang shootings and explosions in Purmerend and Middenbeemster
Nine men involved in rival youth gangs in Purmerend and Middenbeemster have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from one year to nearly eight years for a wave of shootings, explosions, and retaliation attacks that terrorized neighborhoods in April 2023.
The longest sentence was handed to 22-year-old Zakaria A. from Middenbeemster, who received seven years and ten months in prison. He was convicted of multiple serious offenses, including shooting at two homes and detonating a firework bomb, causing widespread fear in the community. In one incident, a home belonging to an innocent resident was struck because the intended target lived next door.
“The court describes his actions as shocking, with no awareness of how serious they were,” the ruling stated. Zakaria A. was not present at the sentencing, as he is currently in custody in Belgium for a separate robbery case.
The violence erupted after a quarrel at the home of one of the main suspects in April 2023. Within a single week, the dispute escalated into a series of retaliatory attacks across Purmerend and Middenbeemster, including shootings at homes and the detonation of firework bombs.
Investigators determined that the attacks were part of ongoing revenge actions between the two rival youth gangs. One suspect had also orchestrated shootings at two homes in Terneuzen in March 2023, before the conflict spread to Noord-Holland.
Three other men, including 22-year-old Anass O. and 21-year-old Yassir E., received three-year prison sentences for their roles in shootings and explosions on the Weverstraat in Purmerend.
Nino H., 23, was sentenced to 12 months, six months suspended, for acting as the driver during an April 11–12 explosion and arson on a home in the Boeierstraat. The court found that he transported Zakaria A. to the location, waited, and drove him away, enabling the attacks, but acquitted him of other charges including participating in the shooting and planning additional attacks.
Two primary suspects from the rival Purmerend gang—a 22-year-old man from Purmerend and a 23-year-old from Rotterdam—received six years and ten months each. One was convicted of attempted manslaughter, illegal weapons possession, and threats; the other for complicity in attempted manslaughter, illegal weapons possession, and threats.
The court held hearings in two separate locations to keep the gangs apart: the Purmerend group in Haarlem and the Middenbeemster group at a high-security court in Schiphol.
The court noted that the sentences were lower than the 15 to 18 years sought by prosecutors because many of the most serious allegations, including murder and manslaughter preparation, could not be proven.
Residents experienced lasting fear during the violence. One local told NOS she struggled to sleep afterward and sought psychological help, saying, “It affected me. I went to a psychologist after that.”
Purmerend Mayor Van Selm said, “I really hope today’s verdict helps those who were innocent victims to find closure and regain peace in the neighborhood.”
