Two suspects arrested over fatal attack on 27-year-old in Vlissingen

Two people, aged 17 and 20, have been arrested in connection with the death of a 27-year-old resident of Vlissingen. The victim was found with injuries at a house on Meindert Hobbemalaan last Wednesday, but efforts to save him were unsuccessful.

The suspects were taken into custody on Sunday and Monday during raids by the police's Special Intervention Service (DSI) at homes in Vlissingen and Middelburg. Police searched the properties and seized items “that could help uncover the truth in the investigation into the death,” police said.

Local news outlet 112Vlissingen-Souburg reported that the DSI entered two homes in Vlissingen at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 1. One was on Meindert Hobbemalaan and the other on Hendrick Vroomlaan. Several people were brought outside and searched. Some were blindfolded and made to kneel in front of the house on Hendrick Vroomlaan. Police searched both properties.

The two suspects are being held in restricted custody, meaning they are not allowed to communicate with anyone other than their lawyers.

The police confirmed on Friday that the man had been killed in a crime after a scan and an autopsy ruled out other possible scenarios. A large-scale investigation team, led by a public prosecutor and involving dozens of officers from different specialist units, was established to identify those responsible.

Reports from Omroep Zeeland revealed that just before collapsing, the heavily wounded victim had desperately rung the doorbells of multiple houses along Meindert Hobbemalaan in succession to ask for help. Despite immediate resuscitation efforts by first responders and the dispatch of a trauma helicopter, he died at the scene.

“Unfortunately, following a relatively quiet period in our city, a serious violent incident resulting in a death occurred overnight on Meindert Hobbemalaan,” Mayor Bas van den Tillaar said. "My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim's relatives. I wish them strength as they deal with this loss."

The Meindert Hobbemalaan is in Vlissingen's Middengebied, an area that had been designated a security-risk zone for around 18 months because of a series of violent incidents in 2024. That designation, which allowed police to carry out preventive searches, was lifted in March 2026.

The family said it was thankful for the police's “swift response” through Namens de Familie. “We are still in shock following his death, but we appreciate the seriousness with which the investigation is being conducted.”