Dutch police have now arrested 34 people from four different countries in connection with the deadly nighttime shooting in Overasselt, in which one man was killed and two police officers were injured.
The victim has now been named to Dutch media as Berry, a 51-year-old security guard from the nearby village of Wijchen.
According to the press release, officers found Berry seriously injured at the scene, but medical assistance was unsuccessful, and he ended up passing away.
Who are the 34 suspects?
As reported by NOS, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) revealed that the suspects include French, Belgian, and Algerian nationals — in addition to a few Dutchmen. Police aren’t ruling out the fact that more arrests may be made.
Videos circulating on social media site X allegedly show footage of the arrests:
“Nederlanders”#NOS #Wijchen pic.twitter.com/RX2pD9jNuy
— Erik (@eriknld2) September 1, 2026
Investigators still need to work out the level of involvement each suspect had in the incident, OM prosecutor Monique Vinkesteijn revealed in a press conference. She expects that authorities will have a much clearer picture over the course of the week, once further investigations have been carried out.
For now, a heavy list of charges is being levied against the group, including murder, manslaughter, and attempted manslaughter.
All 34 are currently being held under full restrictions, according to police, and they are only allowed to speak to their lawyers.
Vehicles and weapons were seized
According to police, arrests were made “at multiple locations throughout the country”, including “the A73 just across the provincial border in Limburg, on the A76 near Maastricht, in a cornfield near the Ewijkseweg in Overasselt, and at the Stationsplein in Nijmegen”.
They also confirm that various warning shots were fired during these operations, and multiple weapons, data carriers, and vehicles were seized.
The two injured police officers were the first to arrive on the scene, after a report of gunshots came in during the early hours of Tuesday morning. Other officers tended to them, reports Deputy Police Chief Jolanda Aalbers, “at risk of their own lives”.
Who (or what) was behind it all?
Police and prosecutors are remaining tight-lipped while the investigation is underway. The Public Prosecution Service also declined to comment on rumours linking the violence to fugitive drug lord Bolle Jos.
Citing various inside sources, Het Parool claims that the shooting was a result of a conflict over “hundreds of kilos of cocaine allegedly belonging to the group surrounding the fugitive criminal ‘Bolle Jos’ Leijdekkers”.
This shipment of cocaine, totalling a whopping 812kg, was found in a truck with a Dutch registration and seized at the French-Spanish border last Saturday.
As yet, these claims are still unconfirmed by authorities. What prosecutors have confirmed is that the shooting was part of a long-running conflict, and that the same property was shot at last year.
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