Police have confirmed that a suspicious object found in a square in Amsterdam-Zuidoost was a hand grenade. After the find was reported to law enforcement, the grenade was made safe by the bomb disposal service EOD.
Police had been responding to reports of explosions in the area. It is the third time in two days that an explosive device has been found in a public place in Amsterdam. The square is close to the Nelson Mandela Park.
On Tuesday night a grenade was left in the doorway of a hotel in the Vondelpark area and explosives were discovered at a business address on Lemelerbergweg in Zuidoost.
Justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus recently revealed that there have been 16 incidents involving grenades at hotel and catering businesses in Amsterdam since the beginning of last year.
In at least 10 cases, a device actually exploded. The city recently decided to stop automatically closing premises that were targeted in shootings and grenade attacks amid concerns that gangs were deliberately targeting their rivals.
But the square is not a hotel or catering business.
Rond 04.00 uur meerdere meldingen dat er mogelijk schoten zijn gehoord en voertuigen zijn weggereden aan het Bijlmerplein. We treffen geen gewonde(n) aan, wel ligt er een voorwerp op straat dat vermoedelijk een handgranaat is. Onderzoek is gaande. Getuige geweest? Bel 0900-8844.
— Politie Amsterdam eo (@Politie_Adam) October 25, 2018