Suspected pipe bomb attack targets Dutch Covid-19 test site

Suspected pipe bomb attack targets Dutch Covid-19 test site – police

Five windows have been broken by an explosion outside of a test center in the northwestern Netherlands, local police reported. The blast is suspected to be a pipe bomb attack.

The explosion happened early Wednesday morning in the town of Bovenkarspel in the Dutch province of North Holland. Fortunately, nobody was injured.

The incident took place in the street outside a Covid-19 testing center operating in the port town. Police said it will take several hours after securing the area to collect evidence and conduct a preliminary investigation. They now believe it was a deliberate attack targeting the center and that the explosive device was likely a pipe bomb.

People unhappy with the Dutch government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic have previously targeted testing sites. On January 23, one center was set on fire amid anti-lockdown protests in the town of Urk. Police have made several arrests in the case.

Last Friday, the government scored a win against its critics after an appeals court ruled that it was right to impose a nighttime curfew, overturning an earlier opinion by a district court. The curfew is the first in the Netherlands since World War II, and is currently expected to last until at least March 15. It came into force on January 23.

https://www.rt.com/news/517050-bomb-dutch-covid-test-site/