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Camera bombers regret injuries

Two men who tried to blow up a traffic light camera with a home-made bomb have told a court they regretted the fact that bomb disposal experts were injured by the device.

A member of the military bomb disposal squad (Explosieven Opruimingsdienst Defensie/EOD) lost a hand as he dealt with the incident in Voorschoten, Zuid-Holland, on October 23 last year. One of his colleagues and a police officer suffered minor injuries.

At a preliminary hearing in The Hague, one of the suspects, Jorn de V., said it was “never, never, never the intention” to hurt innocent people.

A passing motorist raised the alarm after noticing something “strange” attached to the camera at the crossroads of Voorschoterweg and Leidseweg.

The bomb, made of fireworks, detonated after the bomb disposal team had given the all-clear sign, even though the fuse had been removed from the incendiaries.

Erik O., the second suspect, also expressed his regret through his lawyer, who said: “Something happened which we didn’t account for. The bomb squad didn’t realise how the thing could explode. How could amateurs such as my clients have prevented it?”

The investigation was carried out in the United Kingdom because the Dutch forensic service felt it was too closely assocated with the case.

The two suspects are currently accused of attempted murder, although the police investigation is ongoing. A date for a full court hearing has not yet been set.

Source: De Pers: Verdachten flitspaalbom hebben spijt

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