Rotterdam resident Viangelo N. was convicted by the court on Tuesday for involvement in causing an explosion at a plumber’s home in Vlaardingen. The 27-year-old man receives a prison sentence of two years, of which 10 months are conditional. The court in Rotterdam finds it proven that he acted as a driver.
The suspect and his co-perpetrators were also guilty of a very serious form of threat to the resident and his family with young children as a result of the explosion, the court found. On the night of December 12, 2023, there was an explosion shortly after midnight at a house on Gretha Hofstralaan in Vlaardingen. Investigation revealed that an explosive had been placed on the bottom left side of the front door.
A witness on a bicycle heard the bang and about 30 seconds later saw a man in dark clothing with a backpack sprinting past him. The witness then saw the man get into a Mitsubishi. About an hour later, this car was stopped in South Rotterdam with Viangelo N. at the wheel. The case of the 17-year-old co-suspect who allegedly placed the explosive will come before the court on another date.
The court finds it aggravating that the target was a home and not a business premises, which is also located in the middle of a residential area. Yet the suspect receives a lower sentence than demanded by the public prosecutor because N. was not the one who placed the explosive, had not previously been convicted for similar offenses and has otherwise had his life well on track. The latter makes it all the more incomprehensible to the court that N. became involved in this case.
