Families of 6 killed, 5 hurt in Hague shop explosion urge life in prison for suspects

The District Court in The Hague listened to 19 victim impact statements from relatives of those killed and people injured in the deadly explosion at the Tarwekamp in The Hague on Tuesday, the third day of the trial against four suspects. Six people were killed and five injured in the devastating blast on December 7, 2024. Many of the relatives called for life sentences for the suspects.

The court's presiding judge addressed the victims and their relatives at the start of the hearing, acknowledging that the coming days would be difficult and emotional. Many had looked forward to this moment for a long time, the judge said, but were also apprehensive because of the devastating impact the explosion had on their lives. "We understand that," the judge said.

Four suspects are on trial, including alleged mastermind Moshtag B. , 35, Prosecutors believe he wanted revenge on his ex-girlfriend by destroying her bridal shop, which was the intended target of the explosion.

The first woman to address the court was widowed in the disaster. She said she had struggled to find the courage, words, and strength to tell her story. "The story is so unreal that sometimes I think it is a terrible dream," she said. "Unfortunately, all those horrific details and images, which have been recorded in files and reports for you, have been recorded in my head and soul. I now know they will haunt me until my last breath, reminding me that this is our reality."

She was left to raise three children after the explosion. "They stole his life, his soul, and his future," she said of her husband. "And with that, they also stole my children's childhood, the love of my life and the future we had planned as a family."

She asked the court to sentence the suspects to life in prison. "I am not asking for revenge. I am asking for justice," she said. "My children and I have been condemned to live with the consequences of this act forever."

The victim's brother, who also spoke on behalf of their parents, likewise urged the court to impose life sentences. "Safety and peace will only return when the court imposes the maximum sentence they deserve, for every life they have taken and every life they have destroyed," he said. "They should never leave prison."

A lawyer read out a victim impact statement on behalf of the eldest son in the family. "It is difficult to understand why these people did this. Did they not know they would cause so much damage?"

The mother of 31-year-old Tim, who was killed in the explosion, also addressed the four suspects directly in her statement. She questioned whether they understood the consequences of their actions. "Can you imagine what it means to have someone you love so much taken away from you in this way?"

"My son had absolutely nothing to do with you," she continued. "He had done nothing wrong to anyone. He was simply sleeping peacefully. I hope you carry the deaths of these six people with you for the rest of your lives. That you never forget how much suffering you have caused. And that you think about it when you eventually stand before the highest judge."

The mother placed a photograph of her son in front of her while reading the statement. Tim had spent the night of the explosion at a female friend's home on the Tarwekamp. "To others, Tim may be one of the six victims," she concluded. "But to me, he was my child."

The suspects stared straight ahead during the emotional statement. Only Adil A. , 34, looked at the victim's mother.

Tim's sister said she was speaking on behalf of her brother and for him. "Not for anyone else, and certainly not for you," she told the suspects. "Because you are not worth a single word, breath, or piece of energy." She described her brother as someone who "wanted to make the world a little more beautiful, who gave so much love and who could not stand injustice."

Tim's girlfriend said she still thinks about him and misses him every day. "It is there every single day. No kiss in the morning, no goodnight, sweetheart. Every day, I am confronted with a life without the one person I never wanted to live without."

"I lost everything," she continued. "But above all, I lost the most precious thing of all: my boyfriend and the great love of my life, Tim."

The wife of 63-year-old Leslie also described the devastating consequences of the explosion. Her statement, read out in court on Tuesday, was the first time the name of the sixth victim of the Tarwekamp explosion had been made public.

"After the explosion, I had nothing left: my husband and cats were gone, and I had no home, no furniture, no clothes, no photographs, nothing. Everything I had built up in my life was gone. I had to start all over again, but this time I had to do everything alone," she said.

She was in hospital when Leslie's funeral took place. "A period I have no memory of myself. Because of that, the loss of Leslie sometimes still doesn't feel entirely real. I still regularly think he could walk through the door again at any moment. But that won't happen. Never again."

Leslie's wife is not attending the trial against the four suspects. She suffered permanent brain damage in the explosion and had to undergo lengthy rehabilitation, during which she had to "learn everything all over again."

The explosion left her with concentration problems and difficulties with her short-term memory. "I choose not to waste my precious energy on the suspects, because they simply aren't worth it to me. They have already taken too much from me." She called for the suspects to receive life sentences.

She said she would never return to the Tarwekamp. "There is nothing left of what I had. It is no longer a home. The memories are in my head, not in that house or at that place."

The statements also highlighted the lasting psychological, health-related, practical, and financial problems experienced by people who survived the explosion or lost their homes and businesses.

"Nothing has been the same since that day," one resident said. "We have lost our sense of home, peace, and safety. The impact of this event is enormous and remains with us every day."

Another resident described the upheaval that followed the explosion, including moving five times in almost 11 months. "The children kept asking when we could go home again."

"We were very happy, but the disaster destroyed everything," another survivor said. He has undergone more than 30 treatments for trauma-related symptoms. "My treatment is mainly focused on hearing my young neighbour screaming for help."

The owner of a furniture import business on the Tarwekamp described the impact on his company. "The explosion lasted only a moment. I carry its consequences with me every day." He urged the court to look beyond the financial damage caused by the blast. "Behind those figures is a human being."

Another business owner said the explosion had brought nearly two decades of hard work to an abrupt end. "What happened at my business on the Tarwekamp on December 7, 2024, was not just an incident for me: it was the brutal end of almost two decades of dedication, dreams and hard work."

One female resident described the exhausting administrative and practical challenges she had faced since the attack. "You are dealing with it every day." She had to find solutions to problems herself, including arranging somewhere to live and dealing with extensive paperwork and administration. The stress has caused health problems, while financial pressure has added to her worries. "It is all about money, even though I never had any debts."

A family whose home was destroyed in the explosion, but who survived the blast, delivered the final statements of the day. One of the four family members said the damage went far beyond their property. "The explosion damaged my house. But the greatest damage is in a place nobody can see. I now realise that I will probably never be the same person I was before that morning."

The family's father, who also lost a beloved neighbour in the explosion, focused on the financial consequences. "Despite our insurance policies, you quickly discover that not everything is covered. In fact, even when you are well insured, there are so many additional costs that you simply cannot insure yourself against," he said. He asked the court to take their traumatic and emotional experiences into account when considering the case and sentencing the suspects.

Despite the lasting impact, one resident said she remained positive about the future. "Ultimately, I look positively towards the future," she said. "But I also know that this event will always remain part of our lives."

The court's presiding judge closed the hearing by acknowledging the pain expressed throughout the day. "A lot of emotion and pain has been expressed today, but with dignity," the judge said. "Many of you have spoken about how your sense of safety and peace has been taken away."

The remaining 15 victim impact statements will be read out on Wednesday, including that of the bridal shop owner whose business was the intended target of the explosion.

The criminal trial will continue on Tuesday, November 24, when the court will examine the personal circumstances of the four suspects. The Public Prosecution Service will also present its evidence and set out the sentences it is seeking.