Overview
- A group of roughly thirty armed men approached a property on the Ewijkseweg and opened fire, leaving a 51‑year‑old man from Wijchen dead and wounding two police officers who are now reported out of life‑threatening danger.
- Police launched a large, multiunit operation that recovered numerous firearms, fired warning shots during arrests and detained 34 suspects who are held under full restrictions and will be questioned.
- Investigators are examining whether the incident is tied to a long‑running drugs conflict at the target site, which was shot at in July 2025 and hosted a drug lab discovered in 2019, but prosecutors have not publicly confirmed an organiser or named criminal figures.
- Authorities made arrests at multiple locations and on highways, searched fields and nearby properties using specialised units and helicopters, and temporarily told residents to stay inside before lifting the warning once no suspects were found nearby.
- Local residents say the violence has deepened fear in the village and officials warn the case could signal a new, more international phase of organised crime, with forensic work and witness interviews continuing to determine motive and links.