Police increase presence in Amsterdam neighborhood after 3 explosions in 5 days
Police have stepped up their presence in Amsterdam’s Plantage Kerklaan following three explosions in the past five days, which have caused significant property damage but no reported injuries.
The latest blast occurred early Tuesday morning outside a sandwich shop. A nearby resident told AT5, “I heard a hard bang just before 5:30,” the witness said. The explosion shattered multiple windows, heavily damaged the building’s facade, and sparked a short-lived fire.
Police are seeking a man in his early twenties seen riding a black motocross bike—or a similar-looking electric bike—in Oosterpark prior to Thursday’s blast. He has not been arrested, and investigators are examining whether he is linked to any of the three explosion.
Earlier incidents in the same street targeted locations of the nationwide pizza chain De Pizzabakkers. On Thursday night, around 3:00 a.m., an explosive detonated at the chain’s restaurant on the corner of Plantage Muidergracht, breaking many windows and blackening the building’s facade with fire damage.
A second explosion struck the chain’s takeaway location a few doors down on Sunday night, damaging the entrance door and causing minor fire and smoke damage inside. The reason the pizza chain locations were targeted remains unclear.
Police confirmed that the building affected by Tuesday's blast is owned by a different party than the De Pizzabakkers locations. Authorities are investigating whether the incidents are connected.
