Podcast: What drives sixteen-year-olds to carry out attacks with explosives?
Podcast announcement
Young people being deployed to carry out explosive attacks: how do they come into view, and what motivates them? The podcast 'Action/Reaction: From Attack to Approach' by the research project Close Protection and Surveillance and researcher Sheila Adjiembaks takes a closer look at why and how young people become involved.
In the Netherlands, the number of attacks involving explosives has risen sharply in recent years: from 212 explosions in 2021 to nearly 1,400 in 2025. Initially, it was thought that explosions mainly occurred within the criminal underworld, but it has since become clear that they are increasingly taking place in relational conflicts, business disputes or neighbourhood quarrels.
The average age of suspects is 23, with the largest group being just 16 years old. This is a very young group, easily reachable via apps such as Snapchat and Telegram. As part of the Close Protection and Surveillance research project at Leiden University, researcher and criminologist Sheila Adjiembaks investigated why and how young people become involved.
‘The research has given me first-hand insight into how young people view involvement in an explosive attack, and how far removed the world of professionals can be from that of young people when it comes to criminal exploitation,’ says Adjiembaks.
Three episodes
The podcast series 'Action/Reaction: From Attack to Approach' takes listeners into the world behind the growing use of explosives, with particular attention to the role of young people. Across three episodes, you hear from professionals in the judiciary, legal profession, police, coaching and local government, supplemented by personal stories from convicted perpetrators. Together, they outline how explosives are used, why young people become entangled in this, and what the impact is on victims, neighbourhoods and families.
Hein van der Loo, Mayor of Almere, has also seen an enormous rise in explosions in his city in recent years. In episode three, he speaks with the hosts and youth coach Redouan ait Ali about the dilemmas involved in tackling the problem. According to Van der Loo, ‘we must continue to share with one another what is happening and voice our concerns. That can only be done together.’
The series connects professional practice with personal experience to show what is needed for an effective and preventive approach.
Podcast 'Action/Reaction: From Attack to Approach'
What has caused attacks involving explosives to increase in the Netherlands in recent years? What motivates young people to become involved and how does this happen? And what is needed for a prevention-oriented approach? You can hear about this and much more in the three-episode podcast ‘Action/Reaction: From Attack to Approach’.
Listen to the podcast (in Dutch)