Emergency responders secure the area at the scene of the explosion
(Picture: REUTERS)An explosive went off at a coronavirus testing centre in Amsterdam this morning in what police are saying is an intentional attack.
The explosion in the town of Bovenkarspel, north of the Netherlands’ captial, shattered windows but caused no injuries.
Police spokesman Menno Hartenberg told the Reuters news agency that remains of the explosion were found in front of the building and it “must have been placed there”.
He added: "We don't know yet exactly what exploded, the explosives experts must first investigate,.
"What we're saying is that something like that doesn't just happen by accident, it has to be laid.”
A security guard who was inside the testing centre at the time was not injured, according to national broadcaster NOS.
It comes after hundreds of protesters demonstrating against a new lockdown curfew clashed with police in Amsterdam at the start of the year.
As part of the protests, rioting youths torched a coronavirus facility in Urk, a small fishing village in the Netherlands.
The region around the rural town of Bovenkarspel has recently seen a surge of Covid-19 infections with 181 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with around 27 per 100,000 nationally.
At least one hospital has been forced to send patients to other provinces due to lack of space in its intensive care units.
Wednesday is the first day in several months in which lockdown measures in the Netherlands have been slightly eased, with hairdressers reopening and non-essential stores allowed to accept a small number of visitors by appointment.
National elections are set to take place on March 17 which has been widely seen as a referendum on the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis.
