Van intentionally hits Dutch newspaper's office

The office of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf was slammed by a delivery van in early Tuesday in Amsterdam in what appears to be a deliberate act.

No one was injured as the building was mostly empty, except for the security guard, at the time of the attack, police said, Reuters reported.

The driver of the van fled the scene in a separate car, possibly driven by an accomplice. Both suspects remain at large on Tuesday morning.

The van shortly burst into flames after the hit. The perpetrator wasn’t able to penetrate into the building thanks to front windows being made of safety glass.

Editor-in-chief Paul Jansen said the motive of the attack remain unclear. “Unfortunately, journalism has been a target for attacks more than once”, he said. “This is a cause of great concern, but we will not be intimidated.”

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the attack on the newspaper “a slap in the face for the free press and Dutch democracy”.

De Telegraaf among the largest daily newspapers in the Netherlands, which specializes in sports and crime coverage.

The van attack came after a rocket was launched last week at an office in Amsterdam that housed several other publications. No one was injured in the attack and a 41-year-old man was arrested.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.