Rotterdam increases security of explosion locations

The municipality of Rotterdam and the police will strengthen security and surveillance measures in places that have recently been hit by explosions, announced a spokesperson for the municipality. However, the planned measures are classified. "We don't want to make the criminals any smarter than they already are," the spokesperson said.

In the past week, there has been an incident in Rotterdam every day. On Crooswijkseweg in Rotterdam North alone, there were four explosions. Furthermore, on Saturday night there was another incident in a store where suspicious material was found the night before.

Also in the Van Speykstraat in the Oude Westen district, crime related incidents occurred several times in recent days. However, it is unclear whether there is a connection between the incidents in the different districts.

In Rotterdam, 49 explosions in homes and business premises have been counted so far this year. That's exactly the same number as all of last year, according to the police. It is believed that the incidents are mostly related to drug trafficking. For instance, the homes of family members of drug criminals are also regular targets of attacks.