Leeuwarden mayor's car goes up in flames; Police suspect arson

Leeuwarden mayor Sybrand Buma’s car went up in flames in the driveway of his home early on Tuesday morning, local media reported. The police suspect arson.

Records show firefighters were dispatched for a car fire on Zwaluwstraat near Pelikaanstraat in the Friesland city at about 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Firefighters struggled to extinguish the fire in the hybrid car. The 2022 Audi Q3 E-Tron was badly damaged and towed away by a salvage company.

The police believe arson was involved, a spokesperson for the Noord-Nederland police confirmed to Dagblad van het Noorden. They are investigating. The spokesperson could not confirm that it was Buma’s car.

According to Omrop Fryslan, Buma is the second well-known Friesland politician to get his car torched in less than a year. Last November, D66 parliamentarian Tjeerd de Groot’s car was set on fire in Nagele in the Noordoostpolder.