More than a year after a devastating arson attack destroyed a beloved historic bookstore and damaged three adjacent city-center buildings in the Netherlands, two men convicted in the case have formally launched an appeal against their convictions and sentences. The appeal hearing got underway Monday, marking the next chapter in a case that has shaken the local community. At the original trial, defendant N.J. was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while co-defendant H.S. received a six-year custodial sentence. N.J. has long contested his conviction and sentence, arguing that he received disproportionate punishment because he was neither the mastermind nor the lead organizer of the arson plot, a claim he has reiterated throughout the legal process.
According to N.J.’s statements to police, he was approached by H.S. to participate in the plan to set fire to one of the city center’s iconic green-and-white listed buildings. The pair were promised a payout of €10,000 for the attack from a figure identified only as “Lori,” who is alleged to be the person who ordered the arson. Lori and another man, identified as rapper K., were taken into custody in 2024 in connection with the plot, but were quickly released by the examining magistrate and will not face any further prosecution for the crime.
N.J. also told investigators that he had only been released from prison for three months when he agreed to take part in the scheme. He initially claimed he had only been asked to provide a taxi ride for the group, but admitted under judicial pressure that he had thrown an oil-soaked rag into the fire to help the blaze spread more quickly.
The targeted building on Domineestraat, which housed the well-known Vaco Bookstore, was set on fire on January 15, 2024. The blaze quickly spread beyond the original structure, leaving three other nearby buildings also damaged by fire. In the wake of the attack, Vaco has offered a $50,000 reward for any information or witness statements that can lead to the identification and prosecution of the actual mastermind behind the arson. The appeal case is scheduled to resume in June, with no further updates on proceedings expected before that date.