Man acquitted of blame for deadly Rotterdam warehouse explosion

A Rotterdam court on Tuesday acquitted Jalal O. of any criminal responsibility for the devastating explosion that struck a commercial building in the Schammenkamp area of Rotterdam-Zuidwijk at the end of January 2024. The public prosecutor had pursued a seven-year case, alleging O. knew about a drug-lab in the premises that used acetone, a highly flammable solvent. The Dutch Forensic Institute identified the blast source as acetone barrels, and the explosion demolished half a housing block, killing three occupants.

O. argued that a sub-tenant, Mustafa (33), had run the lab without his knowledge, and that the lab was confined to a sealed section of the property. The court accepted this explanation, noting the lack of direct evidence that O. was aware of the lab and that the building’s destruction prevented reconstruction of its layout. Although O. gave inconsistent statements, the judges concluded his testimony could not be disproved. He later spoke to one outlet media from the rubble, expressing confusion about the cause.