Police find almost 50 heavy Cobra 20 fireworks bombs in basement of Utrecht flat
A 55-year-old man was arrested after police found about ten kilos of flash powder in a storage box under a flat in a residential part of Utrecht.
Police found almost fifty "Cobra 20" explosives in a basement storage box under a flat on the Tigrisdreef in Overvecht, Utrecht, during a check on Tuesday evening. The 55-year-old owner of the box was arrested.
A Cobra 20 is an extremely heavy firework bomb. Together the explosives held about ten kilos of flash powder. The Tigrisdreef lies in the middle of a residential area. Police said this "caused a huge explosive danger and a great risk to residents".
Officers also searched the man's home and found one more explosive. All the explosives were seized and safely removed. Police said the investigation continues.
At a garage box on the Muylenborchdreef, also in Overvecht, police found almost 40 nitrous oxide cylinders and seized them. The municipality of Utrecht closed both boxes with immediate effect.
Police said the municipality and police regularly check garage boxes, basement boxes, storage spaces and business premises. Such spaces are often used for criminal activity, police said, "for example to store fireworks, explosives, flammable substances or other equipment for things like ATM blasts (plofkraken)".
Since 1 August, possessing, buying or setting off fireworks has been a criminal offence in the Netherlands. Police said finding fireworks is especially important ahead of New Year, because some fireworks are as heavy as explosives.