Several suspects in Overasselt shooting tied to earlier abductions, violence, fraud

Several of the suspects in custody for the violence in Overasselt last week, in which a security guard was killed and two cops were injured, have also been linked to other crimes. They have been suspected of kidnapping, firearm-related violence, and fraud, AD reported after gaining access to a list of the suspects who were arraigned on Friday. Around 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday, a large group of masked and heavily armed men were filmed walking the streets of the Gelderland village. In front of a home on Ewijkseweg, one of them shot and killed a security guard, a 51-year-old man from Wijchen. A short time later, the group fired shots at responding police officers, seriously injuring two. The home in question belongs to Jan G. Junior. He and his father, also named Jan and who also lives on the property, are linked to drug crime, various media reported. A video appeared online in which armed and masked men accuse G. of stealing a shipment of cocaine and threaten to kill everyone he loves. The police closed down the village and arrested 34 suspects. A 35th suspect was arrested over the weekend. They combed the area in the days that followed and found many firearms. According to AD, one of the suspects, a young man from Amsterdam, was involved in at least two violent kidnappings. In July 2024, he was part of a group that abducted an elderly man in Amsterdam, threatened him with a firearm, and robbed him of his belongings. He received a 15-month prison sentence, six months of which were suspended, for his role in that abduction. Shortly after his release, he was arrested again for similar offenses in February and March 2025. The allegations against him include unlawful deprivation of liberty and fraud. These incidents also happened in Amsterdam. Another suspect, a 20-year-old man from Amsterdam, had previously appeared in court in Amsterdam in December 2024 in connection with a shooting incident. According to AD, the police suspect this young man of firing the shots in Overasselt that killed 51-year-old security guard Barry Leenders last week. Another suspect has been arrested for public violence. Another is a suspect in an investigation into a common WhatsApp scam in which the scammers pose as the victims' child, saying they're sending a friend to collect cash for some pressing reason. The 34 suspects arrested last week were arraigned on Friday. The magistrate remanded 32 of them into custody. Two were released. Those still in custody are 15 French nationals, 11 Dutch nationals, two Algerian nationals, one person from Libya, one from Ukraine, and two from Belgium. Two of the French suspects are children, aged 16 and 17. The other suspects are between the ages of 18 and 32. The suspect arrested over the weekend is a 26-year-old man from Belgium. He has not yet been arraigned. All the suspects are in restricted custody, which means that they are only allowed contact with their lawyers. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) suspects all 35 of them of joint attempted murder or manslaughter of the two injured police officers. At present, the investigators are not distinguishing between those who shot at the two cops and those who did not fire a weapon. The men are also suspected of preparatory acts for murder, manslaughter, hostage-taking, and unlawful restraint, as well as firearm possession. And the 20-year-old man from Amsterdam is suspected of murdering security guard Leenders.