Man sentenced for hanging grenade on festival fence

A man has been sentenced to two years in prison for attaching a grenade to a fence at Dutch festival Electronic Picnic.

The incident took place in Leeghwaterpark, in the municipality of Purmerend, on the evening of 14 July 2023.

“At the beginning of the evening, one of our security guards found a suspicious object outside the festival site,” the event organisers said at the time. “We immediately cordoned off the area and informed the authorities. They responded alertly and through good cooperation the object was secured. We now know that this had nothing to do with the festival.”

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service removed the grenade, which was secured with a tie-wrap, and the festival continued as normal.

The court is still unclear on the man’s motive for hanging the grenade

Shortly afterwards, the 26-year-old man from Edam-Volendam was arrested in his home.

The court noted that the man created a life-threatening situation: “If someone were to remove the hand grenade by pulling on it, the safety pin with the pull ring would remain on the tie-wrap, which would have detonated the grenade.”

The court is still unclear about the man’s motive for hanging the grenade, though the man’s lawyer indicated that his client was suffering from a “drug psychosis” at the time.

In addition to the prison sentence – eight months of which are conditional – the man will receive a probationary period of two years.

More than 30 artists performed across three stages at Electronic Picnic 2023, which was the 11th edition of the festival.

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