A homemade incendiary device was thrown at the front door of a residential building in Antwerp’s Hoboken district around 7 a.m. on Saturday, September 6th, according to local police.
No injuries were reported, and an investigation has been launched to identify the perpetrators. Authorities are also examining whether the attack may be connected to the city’s drug underworld. Firebomb attacks on homes are a known retaliation technique used by drug gangs operating in Antwerp and nearby Rotterdam.
The Belgian port city is one of the key European entry points for Latin American drug cartels. Earlier this summer, a Dutch teenage drug dealer and his underage accomplices were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after deliberately crashing into a police car at the port of Antwerp.
Antwerp also frequently makes headlines for violent crimes unrelated to drugs. Most recently, on August 31, a 40-year-old man seriously stabbed another male in a parking lot. The motive remains unclear. The victim’s condition has since stabilized, and the suspect is now in custody.
