Homeless man finds suspicious bag in Nijmegen, triggering bomb squad response
A section of downtown Nijmegen was sealed off and a nearby bar was evacuated early Monday after a homeless man discovered a suspicious bag in a nightlife district, prompting a large-scale emergency response that included the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Service. Both the street closure and the evacuation were ultimately lifted after authorities determined the item posed no danger.
The incident began late Sunday night into Monday when René, a homeless man collecting returnable cans for deposit money, found an Albert Heijn shopping bag near a glass recycling container in central Nijmegen, AD reported. Inside, he saw what he described as a heavy bundle containing black rods tied together, cables and gray tape.
“Wooow, I thought. I jumped back and was completely panicked,” René said. He said he believed the object could be dangerous and immediately sought help.
René first entered a cafetaria in the area and asked staff to call police, but they refused, he said. “The man didn’t understand it,” he said. He then went to another cafetaria, where he again asked for police assistance. “Please call the police, I said. But they didn’t want to. I was just not taken seriously.”
Eventually, a security guard from one of the nearby cafés agreed to check the bag and alerted police. René placed the bag in In de Betouwstraat, a popular nightlife street in Nijmegen that includes venues such as Bascafé and Twee Keer Bellen.
Police arrived shortly after 2 a.m. and treated the situation as potentially dangerous. Officers closed off In de Betouwstraat and evacuated the nearest bar as a precaution while additional emergency services were dispatched.
The response escalated to include the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Service, along with an ambulance, fire brigade, and a medical duty officer, the highest-ranking official in emergency medical services coordination.
After examination, the EOD determined the alarm was false. The object was a modified battery that resembled an explosive device but contained no hazardous or dangerous substances. Police later lifted the cordon and removed the item.
