Staff at Reset thrift shop in Houthalen (Limburg) got quite a surprise when they found a grenade among donated items. Police and the army bomb squad Dovo were swiftly dispatched to the scene to defuse the explosive device. ‘It's not the first thing you expect to find among items brought in on a Friday afternoon,’ Reset's Marthe Simons exclaims!
The Reset thrift shop branch in Houthalen nearly started the weekend with a literal bang two weeks ago. An employee found a real grenade among items brought in. "It was quite an explosive Friday afternoon." Marthe recalls.
At first there was some doubt whether it was actually a real explosive, but alert staff soon clocked it was not a toy. "You are not used to receiving something like that. Of course, you put the safety of customers and staff first and the decision was quickly taken to call the police," Marthe continues.
Local police quickly established that this was indeed a real grenade, so the army bomb squad Dovo was called in to defuse it.
Who brought in the grenade?
For the time being, it is unclear who brought in the grenade or where it came from. "We only ask people their postal code when they make donations. We assume the grenade came from somebody local, but it's like searching for a needle in a haystack."
At recycle store Reset, they are taking the incident as an opportunity to clarify what kind of things they prefer to receive. "Preferably, we don't like to see weapons or explosives being donated, but rather furniture, clothes and household items. That means our customers can visit us for useful items," Simons concludes.