The bomb exploded at the Dutch prime minister’s party headquarters in The Hague, but Rob Jetten said the attack did not injure anyone and that the damage did not escalate into injuries during the meeting that had been underway. The centrist leader, who took office in February, said the bomb went off when about 30 members of the D66 party’s youth wing were gathered, and he described those people as startled but unharmed.
Police said they had arrested a 37-year-old suspect late Thursday at the headquarters of the centrist D66 party. Investigators declined to provide further details, including any suspected motive, according to the report. Jetten said he was meeting with reporters later Friday during his weekly news conference, where he addressed the attack and its intended impact.
Jetten told reporters that it was “pretty futile if you think you can intimidate politicians with these kinds of actions.” In his remarks, he emphasized that the party leadership would not be deterred by the bombing, while also situating the attack as an attempt to intimidate the political process rather than to harm people directly.
Other political leaders joined calls condemning the attack. Center-right VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz characterized the bombing as a “cowardly act” in a post on social media, while opposition leader Jesse Klave from the left party PRO said the bombing was “a direct attack on our democracy and the rule of law.”
The attack was not the first one involving the same building in central The Hague. In September, a right-wing demonstration erupted into violence there, with rioters vandalizing the office shortly before a general election.
Jetten had previously responded to that September episode, calling the attackers “scum” in a post on social media, and he reiterated his defiance after the Thursday bombing.