In the Netherlands there have been a large number of attacks involving explosives targeting residential buildings, businesses, cars and other vehicles. Together with its partners, the government is taking action to reduce these numbers.
Despite slight decline, number of attacks remains high
According to provisional data, 1,525 attacks or attempted attacks took place in the Netherlands in 2025. In 2024, this figure was 1,543. This was a 71% increase over 2023, when the corresponding number was 901. Although there has been a slight decline, the number is still too high.
The final figures are expected in the first quarter of 2026.
Notable aspects of attacks involving explosives
In 2024 there were 1,119 dwellings that were the site of an attack involving explosives. In addition, 230 companies and 154 cars and other vehicles were hit by such attacks. Most of these attacks were in Amsterdam, followed by Rotterdam, The Hague, Almere and Den Bosch.
Most attacks are committed using heavy-duty fireworks, such as Cobras.
Attacks involving explosives are often motivated by disputes between criminals, competing businesses, ex-partners or neighbours. Individuals either carry out these attacks themselves or hire someone else to do it, for example by recruiting people anonymously through social media.
These attacks are mostly carried out by youths who are willing to plant explosives for money. The most common age of these perpetrators is 16, and half of the arrested suspects are younger than 20. Many perpetrators are in a vulnerable social and economic position, and sometimes there may also be mental health issues at play. This makes them easy to influence. Most of the time the lure of easy money is a major reason for a perpetrator to carry out an attack involving explosives. Often, this is not the first time they have been in trouble with the police and the justice system.
Measures to stop attacks involving explosives
Central government is taking steps to reduce the number of attacks involving explosives. To this end it is working with:
- municipalities;
- the police;
- the Public Prosecution Service;
- housing corporations;
- insurance companies;
- the probation service;
- the business community.
Together they form the Offensive against Explosives.
The Offensive against Explosives is taking measures to:
- prevent attacks;
- track down and prosecute perpetrators;
- enhance the local approach and provide aftercare.
Anti-crime policy can also cover attacks involving explosives
The government is also taking general measures to combat crime. These measures also indirectly help to address the issue of attacks involving explosives. They include:
- combating organised crime;
- preventing youth crime;
- cracking down on illegal heavy-duty fireworks.
Research into attacks involving explosives
There will be more research into attacks involving explosives, including the reasons for the attacks and how exactly young people are being recruited online. Research will also be carried out into how other countries are preventing attacks involving explosives.
Tackling the problem of heavy-duty fireworks through European cooperation
The government is in talks with other EU countries about imposing stricter, uniform measures on heavy-duty fireworks. One way this could be done is by requiring vendors to verify that buyers have the necessary specialised knowledge. Another example would be a ban on the production of specific types of professional explosive fireworks such as flashbangs. There is little demand for this category of explosive within the pyrotechnics industry, but it is frequently used by criminals in attacks.
Video: the hidden danger of illigal tansport of explosives
Watch the risks and impact of an explosion:
Video: The hidden danger of illigal tansport of explosives
DownloadAcross Europe, hundreds of vehicles travel our roads, passing through tunnels, our neighbourhoods, even right by our schools—carrying loads of explosive materials. They aren’t just fireworks. They are potential disasters on wheels. The illegal transport of fireworks across borders is alarmingly easy – and often goes unnoticed by law enforcement. Every day, these hidden dangers move freely across our countries. That’s why joint action isn’t just important. It’s essential – to keep our countries safe.
Cobras – also called flash-bangers—are mostly produced in Eastern and Southern Europe. They are intended solely for professional use. They are high-powered explosives with the destructive power of a hand grenade – or more – per unit. Criminal networks order flash-bangers and other heavy explosive fireworks for international, illegal trade. They often operate from seemingly legitimate fireworks companies, conducting both legal and illegal business.
The fireworks are moved in containers and trucks to storage locations, often traveling the same routes used for drugs, illegal weapons and cigarettes. The criminal networks behind this trade ignore every day safety regulation for transporting hazardous materials. The vehicles carry no warning signs – there is nothing to reveal the danger inside. That makes detection harder. And if something goes wrong, it puts our emergency services at extreme risk.
The fireworks are stored not only in bunkers, but also in barns and even ordinary homes—often close to the Dutch border. These hidden stockpiles often hold hundreds of kilograms of explosives at once.
From these storage sites, the trade moves forward. Dealers meet buyers in nearby shopping centers, where vans loaded with explosives change hands. From there, the transport continues into the Netherlands. The fireworks are further distributed, ending up in storage units, garages, or even the bedroom of the boy next door. There, among unsuspecting families, they lie in wait—without any safety precautions.
The possession and use of illegal fireworks is a rapidly growing problem in the Netherlands—leading to accidental detonations, attacks on emergency responders, ATM bombings, and even explosions at people’s front doors.
But this is not just a Dutch problem. These vehicles are driving on your roads too…
To expose the hidden danger of the transport of illegal explosives, a test was conducted. Twelve boxes of flash-bangers —a relatively small trade quantity —were packed into a van and detonated. To capture the full impact of such an explosion on the road, two additional vehicles were placed besides the van. The result shows just how devastating even a small load can be.
These images show how disastrous illegal heavy fireworks transport and storage can be. The actual explosive loads on our roads are often much larger. Along the illegal supply chain — from factory transport to storage and street-level use — the quantities shrink. Storage sites may hold up to a hundred thousands of flash bangers. Trucks and vans often carry a few hundred to tens of thousands flash bangers, usually mixed with other types of fireworks. At street level, even a single flash banger or a few dozen, can still cause significant damage.
As the chairwoman of the National Taskforce Against Explosions in the Netherlands, I am fully committed to doing everything in my power to combat the illegal use of fireworks and explosives. We must limit the permissible amounts of gun and flash powder in fireworks to reduce the risk of misuse.
The very dangerous flash-banger type fireworks are essentially bombs – and should be banned. We also urgently need to ensure greater transparency in the trade and distribution of heavy fireworks to prevent further victims.
I call upon the European Union to take action. But the European Union is not the only one that can—or must—act. This is a shared responsibility that requires all of us to contribute, whether in policy and legislation, oversight and customs, law enforcement and prosecution, emergency services, or public education. Every part is vital.
That is why I ask you kindly, but also urgently: please help. We can only stop this if we seriously counter the international production, transport, and storage of pyrotechnics. Together, we can do this. Thank you for your commitment and for your partnership in this crucial endeavour.