Two men aged 35 and 36 from Heerhugowaard must remain in pre-trial detention for ninety days longer. The court in Northern Netherlands decided today during a public hearing in Assen that there are sufficient reasons for this, given their role in the art heist from the Drents Museum on January 25, 2025.
Together with a 20-year-old local resident, these two men are, according to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the ones who were in the museum that night. They detonated a very powerful firework bomb. This explosion gave them access to the museum. They stole very valuable Dacian art treasures from it. This includes three golden bracelets and the famous Helmet of Cotofenesti. The prosecutors stated: “The investigation is still ongoing, but we can already say that the explosive exceeded the power of a Cobra 6 or 8 by far.”
Not melted down
The OM assumes that the art treasures have not been melted down and that the main suspects still have control over them, at least the 36-year-old suspect. At this moment, nothing can be said about whether there was an external client involved.
We can already say that the explosive used in the art heist exceeded the power of a Cobra 6 or 8 by far.
Garbage container
The OM is convinced that these three men were in the museum and committed the heist. According to the prosecutors, there is an abundance of evidence based on a special and extensive police investigation. After a tip from a resident of the Drenthe capital, clothing items with DNA traces from several main suspects were found in a garbage container on Pelikaanstraat in Assen. Glass particles have been found in the clothing. These are most likely from the blown-up glass door and two display cases in the Drents Museum. There is also evidence of the purchase of the sports bag used in the art heist by the 35-year-old suspect.
Glass trace in holiday home
The police team has also been able to determine that the suspects rented a holiday home in a park near Borger. In that holiday home, a glass trace was also found that, according to the OM, can be linked to the glass door in the Drents Museum. Additionally, the police have seen that one or more suspects searched multiple times and locations on the exhibition website and viewed an online map of the museum.
The OM is convinced that these three men were in the museum and committed the heist. According to the prosecutors, there is an abundance of evidence based on a special and extensive police investigation.
Undercover operation
The hammer and sledgehammer used in the break-in have also been found. The sledgehammer in the museum and the hammer in the canal next to it. These items were purchased shortly before the art heist by the 20-year-old suspect at a hardware store in Assen. This man was arrested later than the other two main suspects because an undercover operation was initiated against him.
Against undercover agents, the man states that he physically executed the art heist together with his two local companions aged 35 and 36. He indicates that the oldest of them planned and arranged everything. After the heist, this man left with the art treasures to stash them. According to this suspect, the intention was to sell the art treasures afterward.
There is much to explain
The suspects invoke their right to remain silent, while there is still a lot to explain. That is their right, but the ball is now in their court. For the OM, it is indeed aggravating if no openness is provided about the loot. Moreover, the insurance value of the art treasures will be claimed from the suspects if they are not recovered. The prosecutors are very clear about this: “Given the extent of that, it could mean that they will be heavily in debt for their entire lives.”
Continuation of the trial
At this moment, the investigation is still in full swing, and dozens of police officers are still working on this case. A next public hearing will take place on July 30, 2025, with the three main suspects. The case of the 20-year-old suspect will also be addressed publicly for the first time. The council chamber of the court in Northern Netherlands decided this week that he must remain in pre-trial detention for ninety days longer.
In addition to the three main suspects, four other individuals have also been identified as suspects in this case. They have played a supporting role in the art heist to a greater or lesser extent. They may await the further course of the criminal case in freedom.
Special investigative means
The aim is to substantively address the case in the second quarter of 2026. For the OM, that is the moment to account for the use of special investigative means, such as the urgent safety interview and showing the photos and names of two suspects while they were already in pre-trial detention. The OM published a press release shortly after the use of these means.
The OM believes that all safeguards have been observed in the use of special investigative means. “Furthermore, that use cannot be viewed separately from the impact of the offense,” say the prosecutors. “In that consideration, we take into account the importance of recovering the art treasures intact, the findings of the investigation regarding the role of the three main suspects, and their consistently silent attitude.”