Trial opens in The Hague over 2024 blast that killed 6
Four men went on trial in The Hague on Wednesday over a 2024 arson attack and explosion at a bridal-wear shop that killed 6 people.
Also in:Nederlands
Four men went on trial in The Hague on Wednesday over a 2024 arson attack and explosion that killed 6 people and collapsed a building that housed a bridal-wear shop and flats above it, Dutch broadcasters Omroep Brabant and RTL Nieuws reported.
Prosecutors say the main suspect, a 35-year-old man, asked two friends from Roosendaal, cousins aged 31 and 25, to attack the shop on the Tarwekamp estate because it was owned by his former girlfriend, who had ended their relationship. A fourth man, 34, is accused only of helping prepare the attack and was not present when it happened.
The two men first tried to carry out the attack on 1 December 2024, when police searching their van in a car park in the town of Oosterhout found 14 jerry cans of petrol and six fireworks rounds, Omroep Brabant reported. They were held for several days, then released without charge and immediately bought fresh supplies, including 200 litres of petrol, to try again.
In the early hours of 7 December 2024, the pair poured petrol over wedding dresses and the shop floor and set it alight, RTL Nieuws reported. A powerful explosion followed at 06:15, which brought down the building. Six people were killed, among them three members of one family; the identities of the victims have been withheld at relatives' request, according to RTL Nieuws.
Omroep Brabant reported five people were injured in the blast; RTL Nieuws put the number of seriously injured at four. Nearly 100 people have registered as victims of the attack, with 64 filing damage claims and at least 30 planning to address the court directly, Omroep Brabant said.
The woman whose shop was targeted, the main suspect's former girlfriend, will send her victim statement to the court as an audio message because she is too afraid of him to appear in person, Omroep Brabant reported.
The trial is scheduled to run for nine days, with victim statements due on 10 and 11 November and the prosecution's sentencing demand expected on 24 November. A verdict is likely around mid-January 2027, Omroep Brabant reported. The defendants risk life imprisonment, according to NU.nl.
Follow this story
An email when there is a real update (a new toll, a cause, an arrest). Nothing else; stop with one click.
Free: one story at a time. Members follow as many stories as they like.
What we know
- 2+ outlets · Omroep Brabant, RTL Nieuws +2 Four men went on trial in The Hague on Wednesday over a 2024 arson attack that killed six people at a bridal-wear shop, Dutch broadcasters reported.
- 2+ outlets · Omroep Brabant, RTL Nieuws +2 Prosecutors say the attack targeted the shop because it belonged to the main suspect's former girlfriend.
- 2+ outlets · Omroep Brabant, RTL Nieuws Omroep Brabant reported five people were injured; RTL Nieuws said four were seriously hurt.
- 1 outlet · Omroep Brabant Nearly 100 people have registered as victims, with 64 filing damage claims, Omroep Brabant said.
- 1 outlet · Omroep Brabant A verdict is expected around mid-January 2027, according to Omroep Brabant.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
PremiumSee how the 2 casualty figures in this story changed, when, and who gave each number.
Why it matters for Europe
The case is one of the most serious arson attacks on a residential building in the Netherlands in recent years, both for the number of people killed and for the scale of the court process: almost 100 people have registered as victims of a single attack, and the trial has been allocated nine full days in The Hague's district court.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- Omroep Brabant: 'Brabantse' strafexpeditie liep uit op bloedbad: proces Tarwekamp begint
- RTL Nieuws: Enorme rechtszaak explosie Tarwekamp van start: hier draait het om
- NU.nl: Een aanslag zo heftig dat verdachten explosie Tarwekamp levenslang riskeren
- Omroep West: Liveblog rechtszaak Tarwekamp in Den Haag | Aftellen tot 9.30 uur, dan begint het
- Omroep Brabant: Live | Dodelijke explosie Tarwekamp: Roosendaalse neven voor rechter
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 4 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, 1 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- What happened on 7 December 2024?
- Two men set fire to a bridal-wear shop in The Hague's Tarwekamp area, triggering an explosion that killed six people and brought down the building, Dutch broadcasters reported.
- Why was the shop targeted?
- Prosecutors say the main suspect ordered the attack because the shop belonged to his former girlfriend, who had ended their relationship.
- How long will the trial last and when is a verdict expected?
- The trial is scheduled to run for nine days, with a verdict likely around mid-January 2027, Omroep Brabant reported.
This article was written with AI assistance from 6 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.