4 years in prison for arson that destroyed 10 buildings in historic Arnhem city center

The Arnhem court convicted Koert H. of setting the fire that destroyed ten historic properties in the Arnhem city center last year. The court sentenced the 58-year-old man to four years in prison and banned him from entering Arnhem for five years.

The fire broke out during the early morning of March 6, 2025, and quickly spread through the old buildings in Arnhem’s downtown area. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) believes that H. started the fire by igniting a cardboard-filled container behind a store on Varkensstraat.

The OM recommended 10 years in prison against H. The court opted for a shorter sentence because this was not a targeted attack, but an “impulsive and antisocial action that spiraled completely out of control.”

Two other suspects were with H. at the time. But the OM asked that Ricky N. and Mark V. be acquitted due to insufficient evidence to prove their involvement. The court followed that recommendation and acquitted the two men.

Surveillance footage shows H. suggesting to the other two that they set the container on fire after buying cigarettes at a late-night store. According to the OM, the three suspects lingered near the container, outside of the camera’s view, for about 40 seconds before leaving. About ten minutes later, a large fire erupted and quickly spread through the historic city center.

The fire escalated at an alarming speed, and dozens of homes had to be evacuated in a rush. It took firefighters days to extinguish the blaze. “It’s remarkable that there were no fatalities or serious injuries,” the prosecutor noted during the trial, calling it nothing short of a miracle.

Mark V. later told the police that he saw H. igniting a fire in the container. The prosecutor called the other two men’s failure to intervene morally unacceptable, but there is simply not enough evidence to show that they helped to set the fire. V. and N. were released from pre-trial detention in October.

When determining the sentence against H., the court considered the extent of the damage and the suffering inflicted upon the victims. “In the city center of Arnhem, a gaping hole is visible where these people lived and worked,” the court said. “The consequences of the fire are enormous and of an exceptional nature on the one hand. On the other hand, fortunately, there are no injuries or fatalities to mourn.”

Given the fact that this was not a targeted attack and no one got hurt, the court decided not to follow the OM’s recommendation of ten years in prison. “At the moment that the man and his co-defendants walked away from the container, there may have been little to see.”

But this was still a serious crime for which the man had taken no responsibility, the court said. “It is a well-known fact that fire and smoke spread rapidly and - certainly at this location in the densely built and densely populated old city center - can cause enormous consequences.”

The court therefore opted for 4 years in prison, shorter than what the OM wanted but longer than other arson cases. H. may also not enter the city of Arnhem for five years and must pay a total of €208,022.20 in compensation to the victims.