Police arrest 34 after deadly gang shootout in eastern Netherlands

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters. Published On 1 Sep 20261 Sep 2026.

Key points

• Local media linked the incident to the criminal underworld of Dutch drug lord Jos Leijdekkers, additionally known as "Bolle Jos" ("Fat Jos").
• Among those arrested ⁠were suspects from the ⁠Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Algeria, according to regional prosecutors.
• During the shootout, a 51-year-old security guard was killed while two of the officers arriving at the scene sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, Aalbers remarked.
• In a post on X, he observed that 34 arrests had been produced and noted "the investigation is still ongoing" while condemning the "horrific act of violence".
• "When the first police unit arrived at the scene, shots were fired immediately, " the police chief remarked.

Dutch police have arrested ⁠34 ⁠suspects after a drug-related shooting in a small town in the east of the country that left a security guard dead and two police officers injured.

Jolanda Aalbers, head of the regional police, remarked to journalists on Tuesday that a "large group" of masked men had opened fire at 4am (02: 00GMT) when police arrived at a house in Overasselt, a village near the German border, to investigate reports of suspicious activity.

"When the first police unit arrived at the scene, shots were fired immediately, " the police chief remarked. "That was an incredibly traumatic incident. They had to rescue their colleagues and obtain them to safety. I have tremendous respect for what they did."

Aalbers continued that a number of weapons, data storage devices, and vehicles were seized at the scene.

According to They, there were indications the shooting was connected to a "long-running" conflict, as the same house had ⁠been shot a dozen times in a single incident last ⁠year. Two individuals were convicted in that incident.

Local media linked the incident to the criminal underworld of Dutch drug lord Jos Leijdekkers, additionally known as "Bolle Jos" ("Fat Jos"). One of the Netherlands' most wanted criminals, he was previously convicted for his role in international cocaine trafficking.

According to Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel, police "acted swiftly in response to the life-threatening situation in Overasselt, which involved an unprecedented number of people".

For now, police arrest 34 after deadly gang shootout in eastern Netherlands remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.