Heavily armed group attacks Overasselt farm, leaving one dead and two officers injured
A group of more than twenty armed attackers stormed a property on Ewijkseweg in Gelderland, prompting a regional manhunt and multiple arrests in Nijmegen.
Armed attack on Ewijkseweg
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a deadly shooting occurred at a farm located on Ewijkseweg in Overasselt, a rural village southeast of Nijmegen. Responding police officers arrived at the scene around 04:00 following an emergency report of an active burglary. Upon arrival, the officers encountered heavy gunfire and drew their service weapons in response. One person died at the location, while two police officers sustained injuries and received treatment from ambulance personnel before being transported to the hospital. Security camera footage showed a group of more than twenty men carrying rifles and handguns storming the property before turning back. At least ten bullet casings were recovered on the street, while a local resident reported hearing thirty-seven shots before police arrived, and others reported between twenty-four and thirty detonations.
Manhunt and tactical search
Following the confrontation, authorities initiated an extensive search operation across the surrounding countryside. Police closed all primary access roads into Overasselt, deploying traffic controllers and officers in ballistic vests to prevent civilians from entering the area. Tactical units from the Special Intervention Service (DSI) and a police helicopter joined the manhunt for suspects believed to be armed and hiding in nearby cornfields. A local resident noted seeing ambulances and a trauma helicopter arrive around 04:20. Hours later, between 08:30 and 09:15, officers discharged warning shots in western Overasselt during the perimeter sweep, resulting in no reported injuries.
- An armed group storms the Ewijkseweg property as police respond to a burglary report.
- Ambulances and a trauma helicopter arrive at the scene following heavy gunfire.
- Police discharge warning shots while searching cornfields in western Overasselt.
- Officers arrest four suspects outside the ROC building at Stationsplein in Nijmegen.
Regional arrests and forensic containment
The search operation rapidly widened to encompass surrounding municipalities and transit hubs. Around 09:50, police detained four individuals outside the ROC educational facility at Stationsplein in Nijmegen. Officers placed the suspects in handcuffs, spoke to them in English, and placed paper bags over their hands to preserve firearm discharge residue. Additional suspects were taken into custody in the nearby town of Heumen. To preserve evidence and facilitate forensic analysis, authorities also blocked key transit corridors in Nijmegen, including the Hatertsweg route leading toward the A73 motorway near Staddijk.
Drug network links and local response
Investigators linked the overnight violence to organized crime networks involved in large-scale cocaine smuggling. Police sources noted that a resident of the farm previously conducted business with the criminal network of Jos Leijdekkers, known as Bolle Jos. The Ewijkseweg property previously housed a synthetic narcotics laboratory and was targeted in July 2025, when attackers fired dozens of rounds at the building with an automatic rifle. Investigators have not yet established whether the deceased individual died from police fire or gunfire originating from the attackers.
The mayor of Heumen, Joerie Minses, issued a statement condemning the armed confrontation.
What happened tonight in Overasselt is completely unacceptable and exceeds all boundaries.
Forensic teams remain deployed at multiple crime scenes across Overasselt and Nijmegen to complete their investigation into the shooting.
