Police: Railway fire during NATO summit in The Hague was deliberate

Dutch police have officially confirmed that a fire which disrupted train traffic on the opening day of the NATO summit in The Hague was the result of arson. However, investigators found no evidence of foreign interference in the incident.

As reported by Caliber.Az, the update was published on the Dutch police website, where officials stated that a technical fault or accidental cause had been ruled out.

According to the statement, “The most likely scenario is that the arson was committed with the aim of disrupting train traffic on that day. There are no indications that this was done with the aim of stealing copper or that a state entity was behind this crime.”

The fire occurred during the night of June 24, just hours before the start of the NATO summit. It broke out on the railway line connecting Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam and Utrecht—one of the country’s key transport routes. As a result, train services along the line were suspended until late that day, causing significant disruption.

At the time of the incident, Dutch Security Minister David van Weel noted that sabotage had not been ruled out as a possible explanation.

“This is one of the theories we are investigating,” he said. “And if so, the question will arise as to who did it. It could be an activist group, it could be a foreign state, it could be anything. The main thing now is to repair the cables and restore traffic.”

Despite early concerns over potential state involvement, authorities now believe the motive behind the arson was limited to disrupting transportation, and no links to foreign governments or metal theft have been identified.

By Tamilla Hasanova