A 31-year-old defence ministry employee has been arrested on suspicion of stealing military equipment from an airforce base, the military police said on Monday.

A large quantity of army gear, including weapons, helmets and tents, was found at the man’s home in Zwijndrecht as well as a quantity of cash.

The arrest is part of a wider investigation into theft from military bases and further investigation will establish exactly what equipment was taken and whether all the items found came from army stocks.

It is not clear what the suspect intended to do with the weapons, officials said.

According to a photographer at the scene, two police vans were not enough to remove all the property confiscated by police.