One man has been killed and two police officers injured after a group of masked gunmen attacked a house in the Dutch village of Overasselt, with 34 suspects arrested in the aftermath.
The pre-dawn shooting took place at about 4am on Tuesday, September 1, on the Ewijkseweg. Police said officers responding to reports of a suspicious situation came under immediate gunfire when they arrived.
The dead man was a 51-year-old from nearby Wijchen. He was found seriously wounded at the scene but died despite attempts to save him, according to Dutch police.
The two officers were taken to hospital and are now out of danger. Police chief Janny Knol said one officer had been in a critical condition for a time and required two operations, while fellow officers dragged both wounded colleagues to safety as they remained under fire. ([politie.nl](https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2026/september/1/02-groot-aantal-aanhoudingen-na-schietincident-in-overasselt.html))
Police said a large group wearing balaclavas had been seen near the property. CCTV footage broadcast by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf appeared to show around 30 people, many carrying weapons, moving along a road before fleeing after the shooting. Investigators are examining the footage as part of a major criminal inquiry. ([politie.nl](https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2026/september/1/02-groot-aantal-aanhoudingen-na-schietincident-in-overasselt.html))
Residents were initially told to remain indoors with their doors and windows shut while armed suspects were believed to be at large. The order was lifted shortly before midnight after police searched the area between Overasselt and neighbouring Nederasselt and found no indication that anyone involved was still hiding there. ([politie.nl](https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2026/september/1/02-groot-aantal-aanhoudingen-na-schietincident-in-overasselt.html))
Specialist arrest teams detained 34 people at several locations in and around the village, as well as elsewhere in the Netherlands. Police operations were reported on the A73 and A76 motorways, in a maize field near the house and at Nijmegen railway station; warning shots were fired during some of the arrests.
The suspects include Dutch, Belgian, French and Algerian nationals. They remain in custody under restrictions preventing them from speaking to anyone other than their lawyers, while prosecutors assess possible charges including murder, manslaughter and preparations for a kidnapping. Further arrests have not been ruled out. ([politie.nl](https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2026/september/1/02-groot-aantal-aanhoudingen-na-schietincident-in-overasselt.html))
Possible cocaine dispute under investigation
The motive has not been formally established. However, Dutch media have linked the violence to a suspected dispute over a large cocaine shipment and the criminal network of fugitive Dutch trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, known as ‘Bolle Jos’ or ‘Fat Jos’.
Reports said a video sent to the owner of the property contained threats to kill his family, friends and employees unless a missing consignment of cocaine was returned. The footage has reportedly been passed to police and prosecutors, who are assessing whether it is genuine.
Local reports have suggested that the dispute concerned several hundred kilograms of cocaine, while other accounts have referred to a shipment of about 2,000kg. Police and prosecutors have not publicly confirmed those details, and the authorities have declined to identify anyone believed to be behind the attack.
Deputy chief prosecutor Monique Vinkesteijn said the group in custody was international and that the same house had been targeted in a shooting last year connected to what she called a “longstanding conflict”. ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/01/dozens-arrested-after-fatal-pre-dawn-shootout-in-dutch-village))
The property had also been shot at in 2025, according to Dutch police, which said the earlier incident would be examined as part of the current investigation. Officers have seized weapons, vehicles and data-storage devices while forensic teams continue to examine the scene. ([politie.nl](https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2026/september/1/02-groot-aantal-aanhoudingen-na-schietincident-in-overasselt.html))
Justice minister David van Weel described the violence as unprecedented in the Netherlands and said it appeared to involve international criminal groups. He told Dutch broadcaster NOS that the gangs operated like drug cartels and the mafia across national borders. ([nltimes.nl](https://nltimes.nl/2026/09/02/overasselt-locals-allowed-leave-homes-unprecedented-violence-justice-min))
Joerie Minses, the mayor of Overasselt, said the community had been left shocked by the violence, describing the events as “completely unacceptable”.
Leijdekkers, 35, is one of the Netherlands’ most wanted criminals and has been convicted in absentia for international cocaine trafficking. He is believed to have been living in Sierra Leone for several years and has been the subject of an international manhunt.
Authorities have not said that he ordered or directly organised the Overasselt attack. Dutch media have instead described the suspected connection as part of a possible criminal settling of accounts, while the investigation into the shooting continues.
