A 20-year-old Dutchman has been detained following an explosion in Antwerp train station district that took place overnight from Friday to Saturday, according to police and Antwerp public prosecutors.
“The Dutch police intercepted a car around 5.30 am on Saturday”, the public prosecutor’s office specified. The driver, a 20-year-old Dutch man from Rotterdam, was arrested on suspicion of crimes committed in our country.”
An explosion occurred at approximately 3.30 am on Saturday at Quinten Matsijsle, near Antwerp’s Stadspark. The glass entrance door to a residential building was heavily damaged, however no injuries were reported.
Investigators including forensic science police and the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Service (SEDEE) arrived at the scene. The Federal Judicial Police were informed about the incident.
Half an hour after the explosion, another incident occurred just a few streets away. A fire broke out in a jewellery store, leading to the evacuation of about a hundred people from the hotel located above it. The Gazet van Antwerpen reported that the owner of the affected jewellery shop resides in the Quinten Matsijslei building that was targeted by the explosion. Police have yet to confirm this information.
