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A defendant says he was shocked after the blast that killed six people, as judges hear disputed accounts of the petrol used.
What has changed? · 05/11/2026, 18:27 UTC
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The court in The Hague began examining the case on Wednesday after a series of preliminary hearings. The explosion on 7 December 2024 in the city’s Mariahoeve district killed six people, injured five and left several homes collapsed or badly damaged.
Addressing survivors and bereaved relatives at the opening, the presiding judge said the disaster had left deep scars and warned that the proceedings could be difficult and emotional for them, Dutch news agency ANP reported.
Prosecutors allege that Moshtag B., the former partner of the bridal shop’s owner, arranged for two men to set the shop on fire. They say a large quantity of fuel was poured over wedding dresses and that petrol vapour probably caused the explosion when it was ignited.
Three defendants face charges including murder or manslaughter over the six deaths. The fourth is accused of arson resulting in death and related offences. Prosecutors say they do not believe he was involved in the attack on 7 December, but allege that he took part in preparations.
According to ANP, Moshtag B. said he was there to tell his story and acknowledge parts of the allegations; he denied allegations of stalking his former partner. Another defendant, Mourad B., said the charges were unjustified, while Ilias B. gave no substantive response.
Prosecutors say two of the suspects had been arrested a week before the explosion after police found petrol and heavy fireworks in their van. They were released after questioning because, at the time, there were insufficient concrete indications of what they intended to do, the prosecution service said. The items were seized.
More than 30 victims have indicated that they want to address the court, according to prosecutors. Hearings have been set aside for their statements on 10 and 11 November. The court expects to deliver its verdict in mid-January.
The four defendants in a trial over a deadly explosion in The Hague have given conflicting accounts of who was behind a plan to set fire to a bridal shop. Six people died when the explosion destroyed part of a block of flats on 7 December 2024.
Moshtag B., whom prosecutors suspect of ordering the attack, told the court on Wednesday that he had been swept along in the arson plan. He said he had initially wanted to steal and sell wedding dresses from his former girlfriend’s shop to recover money he had given her, Dutch news agency ANP reported.
B. pointed to co-defendant Adil A. as the person who proposed setting the shop alight. He said he had been assured it would be safe because the others had experience.
But the other defendants gave different accounts, according to broadcaster Omroep Brabant. Adil A. said the plans came from B. and that he himself was involved in carrying them out. Ilyas B. said Moshtag B. was the first to mention arson, while a fourth defendant, Mourad, said Moshtag B. had ordered it.
11 listed sources · explore evidence, limitations and provenance.
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B. denied being in charge. A judge challenged him with an earlier police statement in which he had reportedly said he gave the others instructions and had to work out the plan for them.
B. also told the court that the plan continued after two of the other suspects were detained on 1 December 2024. “I had no objection,” he said, in remarks translated from Dutch and reported by Omroep Brabant.
During the hearing, the court read messages in which Adil A. warned about the amount of petrol and the consequences for people living in the flats, the broadcaster reported. Three of the four defendants face charges including murder or manslaughter in relation to the six deaths.
The trial is due to continue on Thursday. The court’s schedule lists a verdict for January 2027.
Mourad B., 31, told the court on Thursday that he could not comprehend what had happened after the explosion at a bridal shop on Tarwekamp in The Hague on 7 December 2024.
“I thought I had ended up in a film,” he said, in remarks translated from Dutch and reported by news agency ANP. He and his cousin and co-defendant, Ilias B., went to a hotel between The Hague and Delft after the blast, ANP reported. Mourad said they were still in shock.
Prosecutors say 200 litres of petrol were used in the attack. Mourad has claimed he dumped half the petrol in Rotterdam beforehand, but police concluded after an investigation that this was unlikely, ANP reported.
The amount of petrol is disputed. At an earlier hearing, Mourad’s lawyer said her client maintained that much less had been used and argued that, if confirmed, the murder charges should be dropped. Prosecutors disagreed.
Prosecutors previously said research by the Netherlands Forensic Institute and research organisation TNO found that a minimum of between 20 and 45 litres would have been needed to produce an explosion of that force. That figure does not establish how much was actually used, Omroep West reported.
Four men are on trial. On Wednesday, Mourad named Moshtag B. as the person who ordered the arson, according to broadcaster Omroep Brabant. Moshtag said another defendant, Adil A., had pushed for arson. Judges also read messages in which Adil warned about the quantity of petrol and the consequences for residents.
The court’s schedule lists a verdict for January 2027.