Two youths come forward over assault during Nijmegen Vierdaagse

Two teenage boys have handed themselves in to police after a security guard was assaulted during last week’s four-day Vierdaagse walking festival in Nijmegen.

The guard suffered serious injuries when he was punched and kicked at a bicycle parking lot in Nijmegen’s Stationsplein during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, police said.

Police said at least four people were involved in the assault and released photographs of the suspects with their faces blurred. They warned that their faces would be revealed if they did not come forward within a week.

The photographs of the two youths who came forward have since been taken offline.

No details were disclosed about what might have led to the attack.

It is one of several incidents to take place during this year’s Vierdaagse, the annual walking festival around the Gelderland city.

An 18-year-old man from Rotterdam was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of assaulting another man at the weekend.

Fatal shooting

On Saturday evening four teenagers and a 19-year-old youth were arrested for allegedly assaulting a girl on Molenstraat, while police also had to deal with a fight that broke out at a pavement café in Bloemerstraat in which tables and chairs were thrown.

On Tuesday night an 18-year-old man, also from Rotterdam, was fatally shot on Graafsweg, close to the festivities. He died of his injuries in hospital despite the efforts of paramedics and an air ambulance crew to resuscitate him.

Another 18-year-old man was arrested in connection with the shooting, which police said was not directly linked to the Vierdaagse events.

The city council stepped up security around the festival in response to the incidents by restricting the number of visitors and authorising police to carry out preventive stop-and-search checks.