Overview
- Residents in Assen and Zundert have been targeted by explosive devices attached to houses, prompting fear in neighbourhoods and a call for anonymous tips to police.
- Police say they have doorbell‑camera footage from the Assen incidents but suspects wear balaclavas, making identification difficult, and the Zundert mayor ordered immediate street cameras after a front‑door blast.
- A large dune fire near Ouddorp on Thursday drew about 150 responders, a Chinook helicopter using Grevelingemeer water, and an NL‑Alert; one firefighter was seriously injured and taken to hospital.
- Firefighting faces limits because some coastal fires lie inside drinking‑water catchments where seawater use is banned, forcing fresh‑water logistics and mutual‑aid deployments while damage estimates remain uncertain.
- Investigations into both the explosive attacks and the duin fires are ongoing, municipalities plan community consultations and increased surveillance, and officials warn the persistent drought keeps the national fire risk very high.