Man Gets 15-Year Term in Fatal Fireworks Arson

A former kickboxer who had boasted to friends about starting fires was convicted of arson and sentenced to 15 years in prison for a fireworks explosion that killed 22 people and flattened an entire Dutch neighborhood.

Andre De Vries, 34, was found guilty of igniting a fireworks depot that triggered a series of powerful explosions in May 2000 in Enschede. De Vries, who maintained his innocence throughout his trial, threw his hands in the air when the decision was read aloud. He yelled that the judge was “out of his mind” before four guards dragged him from the courtroom.