Automatic firearms found buried in Utrecht park after tip to TV show

Multiple weapons were found buried in Park Transwijk in Utrecht last week, following a tip given to RTL5 crime program Crime Desk, Utrecht mayor Sharon Dijksma said informed the city council on Monday. According to De Telegraaf, the weapons found were Kalashnikov AK47's - automatic firearms often used in assassinations.

The weapons were discovered buried in the park, located near Westdijklaan and Vregdehillaan, on Thursday, according to newspaper AD. Dijksma told the city council that the discovery is cause for concern. "The signals are not new, however," she said.

Shortly after Dijksma took office last month, she asked the local police, prosecutor, and municipal services to provide her with a current and comprehensive picture of undermining crime in Utrecht. That image will be presented to her by the summer, she said.

"Although serious organized crime seems largely hidden from the eye of Utrecht residents, it has a major impact on our society," Dijksma said. In addition to fighting actual organized crime, the city's main focus is preventing young people from being recruited into drug crime.