Rotterdam club targeted in shooting; Owner offers reward for info
Multiple shots were fired at Club Blu on Prins Alexanderlaan in Rotterdam during the early hours of Monday morning. The club was still open at the time, but no one was injured. Club Blu owner Ibrahim Yuce offered a 35 thousand euros reward for information that leads to the gunman's arrest, he said to newspaper AD.
The police responded to Prins Alexanderlaan at around 3:15 a.m., after receiving a report of gunshots being heard on the street. They found multiple bullet holes in the door of the club's main entrance, as well as several bullet casings. "The club was still open during the shooting. No one was injured and those present calmly went home," the police said.
Initial investigation revealed that the shooting happened between 3:05 a.m. and 3:10 a.m. Witnesses saw two men driving away on a scooter. The police are looking for these men as they may have been involved in the shooting. Investigators call on any witnesses to come forward.
Yuce told AD that he has no idea why his club was targeted, adding that this is not the first time. "I was not threatened or extorted in advance. It seems that the shooter himself called the police: the officers were on the scene almost as quickly as our security guards. It really makes me sick: it damages my business and name, while I have nothing to do with anything."
In February, Rotterdam closed the club for three months after a violent incident, in which two guards violently forced an aggressive guest out of the door. Early in 2018, the club was also closed for several months after a shooting in December 2017. The owner then pressed charges against Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, accusing him of slander and libel.
It is not yet clear whether the club will be closed again after this shooting.
