The police have found explosive material in a car in Utrecht. The army has secured the material. Residents of flats in the area were allowed to return home during Tuesday night.
On Tuesday evening, the police closed the Beneluxlaan and the Europaplein in Utrecht due to a car with potentially dangerous substances. Residents of two flats had to leave their homes. One flat was completely evacuated, the other partially.
During the investigation, the police actually found explosive material. The Explosieven Opruimingsdienst Defensie (EOD), the Dutch military’s bomb disposal unit, has secured the material and is making it harmless at another location, the police wrote on X.
Around 2:30 AM, the residents of the evacuated flats were allowed to return. They were previously accommodated by the municipality in a nearby hotel. At least 130 people came from the first flat, a spokesperson for the security region told NU.nl on Tuesday. It is not known how many people came from the partially evacuated flat.
The police are still investigating the car with explosive material. A police spokesperson could not tell press agency ANP what type of explosive material it was. Images from RTV Utrecht show white jerrycans in a black SUV. Residents say that the police first chased the car on Tuesday evening.