Islamic group claims small explosion outside Amsterdam office

Amsterdam police are investigating a small explosion outside an office complex in the city’s Zuidas business district on Sunday night, which has been attributed online to a group calling itself Ashab al-Yamin.

The explosives were set off shortly before 1 am outside the glass-fronted building, known as the Atrium. The fire, which damaged the revolving door, was put out quickly by security guards.

The Atrium is home to the Bank of New York as well as a number of real estate and other international companies.

A video circulating on social media, complete with Arabic text and bombastic music, claims responsibility on behalf of the group and features someone setting off the explosives.

The same group claimed responsibility for the minor explosion outside a nearby orthodox Jewish school at the weekend and at a synagogue in Rotterdam on Friday.

Four teenagers from Tilburg have been arrested in connection with the Rotterdam incident.

Political anthropologist Younes Saramifar from Amsterdam’s VU university said the group was “completely unknown” until this month. “Based on what I have seen, this is absolutely not an organised and coherent group,” he told NOS before the Zuidas explosion.

Saramifar said language mistakes in statements accompanying the videos suggest the makers are not native Arabic speakers and may not be part of a trained militant network.

The footage itself also appears amateurish, judging by the camerawork, clothing and behaviour of those involved. “It looks as if it was poorly planned and that they have had no training,” he said.