Man arrested after bomb threat at Dutch air base, no explosive found
A man was detained at Leeuwarden air base in the Netherlands on Wednesday after claiming he had a bomb; a bag he left behind was later declared safe.
A man was arrested at Leeuwarden air base in the Netherlands on Wednesday after telling security guards he was carrying a bomb, a spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee said. A bag he left behind contained no explosive, the military police force said later in the day.
The man approached the base's main gate at around 12.15pm local time and told security he had a bomb, RTL Nieuws reported. He then put a bag on the ground and took out items that appeared as though they could be part of an explosive device, according to RTL Nieuws and HLN.
Security staff treated the report seriously and alerted the Marechaussee, arresting the man at around 3.30pm, RTL Nieuws reported. Part of the area around the main gate was sealed off and evacuated while the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service examined the bag.
The disposal service's examination lasted until around 4pm, after which it declared the bag safe, RTL Nieuws reported. What exactly was inside it has not been made public. Leeuwarden is a Dutch air base that hosts F-35 fighter jets and unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drones, according to NOS and HLN.
A separate suspicious package was found the same morning at the building of the Militaire Post Organisatie, which handles mail for Dutch military personnel stationed abroad, near the railway station in Bunnik, NOS reported. The building was evacuated at around 11am after the package was flagged as suspicious.
Specialists examined the Bunnik package and found no explosive inside, regional broadcaster RTV Utrecht reported. The package was declared safe and military personnel were able to return to the building. It is not yet clear whether the two incidents are connected, NOS reported.
What we know
- A man told security at Leeuwarden air base he had a bomb and was arrested at around 3.30pm on Wednesday, the Royal Marechaussee said.
- A bag the man left behind was examined by the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service and declared safe; no explosive was found.
- The area around the base's main gate was sealed off and evacuated during the examination, which lasted until around 4pm.
- Leeuwarden hosts Dutch F-35 fighter jets and unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drones.
- A separate suspicious package found the same morning at a military mail building in Bunnik also contained no explosive; that building was evacuated and later reopened.
Not yet confirmed
- Whether the Leeuwarden and Bunnik incidents are connected.
- What exactly was inside the bag found at Leeuwarden.
Why it matters for Europe
Leeuwarden is one of the Netherlands' main F-35 fighter jet bases and also hosts unmanned Reaper drones, so any security scare there draws a heavier response than an ordinary bomb threat. The same morning's suspicious package at a building handling mail for Dutch troops stationed abroad meant two different parts of the Dutch military's infrastructure were disrupted within hours of each other, even though both turned out to be false alarms.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- De Telegraaf: Bommelding bij vliegbasis Leeuwarden: verdachte aangehouden
- RTL Nieuws: Bommelding bij vliegbasis Leeuwarden, man aangehouden
- NOS: Man aangehouden na bommelding en verdacht pakketje bij vliegbasis Leeuwarden
- HLN: Geen explosief gevonden na bommelding bij Nederlandse vliegbasis in Leeuwarden
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Questions and answers
- What happened at Leeuwarden air base?
- A man told security guards he had a bomb and left a bag behind; he was arrested and the bag was later examined and declared safe by bomb disposal experts.
- Was an explosive found?
- No. The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee said the bag contained no explosive, though what was inside has not been disclosed.
- Was this linked to the incident in Bunnik?
- It is not yet clear. A separate suspicious package found the same morning at a military mail building in Bunnik also turned out to contain no explosive.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.