The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) has named four suspects linked to last month’s devastating explosion at a bridal fashion store on Tarwekamp in The Hague. The deliberate attack claimed six lives, left four others critically injured, and caused significant damage, displacing many residents who still can’t return home.
In a statement on Friday, the OM identified 33-year-old Moshtag B., an Afghan-born man, as the primary suspect. He is accused of orchestrating the attack with help from three accomplices: Ilyas (23), Mourad (29), and Adil (33). De Telegraaf reported that the suspects hail from Rotterdam, Roosendaal, and Oosterhout, though authorities have not disclosed further details about their backgrounds. Reporting restrictions on the case were lifted on Friday.
The OM alleges Moshtag B. specifically targeted the bridal store, owned by someone he reportedly knew. He enlisted the help of his accomplices, offering them €500 each to set the premises on fire. On December 7, the group carried out the attack, triggering a massive explosion that not only resulted in tragic loss of life but also rendered the surrounding buildings structurally unsafe.
Investigators revealed the suspects had initially planned to strike earlier, on December 1. However, their plans were foiled when police stopped their van in a parking lot in Oosterhout at 2:15 a.m. Officers, suspicious of the group’s activities, searched the vehicle and discovered heavy fireworks and gasoline-filled jerry cans. Though the men were arrested on suspicion of planning arson, they were later released after questioning. Despite the confiscation of their van, phones, and materials, the attack proceeded just days later.
In the wake of the explosion, a total of 37 criminal complaints have been filed by residents, business owners, and victims’ families. The destruction has left dozens displaced, with repairs expected to take months.
Moshtag B.’s defense lawyer, Gerard Spong, expressed his client’s regret, saying, “The havoc and the victims were never the intention. My client regrets everything,” according to De Telegraaf.
The suspects are set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on March 14.
