Masked Man Threatens 'We Will Kill Everyone You Love' as Police Probe 1,283kg Cocaine After Overasselt Shooting

Dutch police are examining a threatening online video in which masked men accuse a local resident of stealing 1,283 kilograms of cocaine and warn 'We will kill everyone you love', after a fatal shooting in Overasselt left a 51-year-old man dead and two police officers injured.

The footage, which has circulated on social media, purports to show masked men accusing a resident linked to the targeted property of stealing 1,283 kilograms of cocaine and two lorries. One speaker gives the person addressed 12 hours to return the alleged goods before making the threat: 'We will kill everyone you love.'

Police have not publicly confirmed that the video is authentic, nor have they established whether its allegations are connected to the shooting. The official police account of the incident does not mention cocaine, stolen lorries or a confirmed motive.

Fatal Shooting in Overasselt

Police were called at about 4.00am on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, after receiving a report of a suspicious situation at a house on Ewijkseweg in Overasselt, a village in the eastern Dutch province of Gelderland.

The police said a large group of people wearing balaclavas had been seen near the property. When the first police unit arrived, officers came under fire.

At the scene, officers found a seriously injured man. Despite medical treatment, he died. Police identified him as a 51-year-old man from Wijchen, a town near Overasselt.

Two police officers were also injured in the shooting and taken to hospital. The force later said both officers were out of danger.

The incident led to a large-scale response involving specialist police units, including arrest teams from the Dienst Speciale Interventies, the Netherlands' specialist intervention service. Residents were initially advised to stay indoors while officers searched the surrounding area.

Arrests and Police Operation

Police initially announced that 34 people had been arrested at locations in and around Overasselt. The suspects were placed under full restrictions, meaning they could communicate only with their lawyers while questioning continued.

A further suspect was reported to have been arrested overnight, bringing the reported total to 35 by Wednesday. The investigation remains ongoing, and police have not ruled out additional arrests.

Operations took place at several locations, including the A73 near the Limburg provincial boundary, the A76 near Maastricht, a maize field close to Ewijkseweg, and Stationsplein in Nijmegen.

Police fired warning shots during the operation and stopped vehicles in the wider area as part of the search.

Following a search between Overasselt and Nederasselt, police said they had found no indication that further suspects were still in that area. The instruction for residents to remain indoors was lifted, but extra patrols and heightened police presence continued.

Cocaine Allegation Remains Unverified

The threatening video has prompted online speculation over a potential motive for the violence. According to reporting by Dutch broadcaster NOS, the masked speaker claims that 1,283 kilograms of cocaine were stolen and demands that the alleged goods be returned within 12 hours. Other reporting has said the video also refers to two transport lorries.

However, these claims have not been verified by police. The force's official update focuses on the shooting, the death, the injuries to officers, the arrests and the ongoing forensic investigation. It does not publicly connect the cocaine allegation or the online footage to the attack.

For legal and factual accuracy, the allegations should therefore be treated as unverified claims made in social-media footage, not as established evidence of drug theft or a confirmed explanation for the shooting.

Major Crime Team Leads Ongoing Inquiry

A Major Crime Investigation Team, known in Dutch as a Team Grootschalig Opsporing, has been formed to establish how the shooting unfolded and to determine the individual roles of those arrested.

Police said they had seized weapons, vehicles and data carriers as detectives continued forensic work and a neighbourhood inquiry. The property on Ewijkseweg had also been targeted in a shooting last year, the force said.

Detectives are considering that earlier incident as part of their inquiry, although they have not said whether they believe the cases are connected. Deputy police chief Jolanda Aalbers described the events as 'indescribable' and praised officers who brought their injured colleagues to safety and provided first aid.

Police have asked anyone with footage or information to come forward. Residents who see suspicious people, objects or activity have been urged to call emergency services and not to intervene themselves.