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Suspect knew of Van Gogh murder plan
 Terrorist suspect Nouriddin El F. knew in advance about the plan to kill film director Theo van Gogh, a witness told the trial on Friday. The witness, named only as A.A., 28, said El F. told him he gave moral support and encouragement to Mohammed B., the man who killed Van Gogh in November 2004. El F., B and 12 other Dutch-Muslims are on trial charged with membership of a terrorist organisation, the Hofstadgroep. Police recovered a mini machine gun when they arrested El F. in Amsterdam earlier this year. The witness said he met El F in The Hague shortly before that. El F. told him that he was "number 1", the police were searching for him and that he would not be taken alive. He wanted to die a martyr, the witness said.
Earlier in the trial, Mohammed B. repeated his assertion that he acted alone when he killed Van Gogh and that no one knew about his plan. El F. disputes that he ever met A. The defence suggested on Friday that A. was concocting his testimony because his ex-wife Soumaya S. went on to have a relationship with El F.
| Cherchez la femme. The brazen hussy... |
A second witness, 24-year-old H.S. from The Hague, said El F. was been heavily involved with guns. The woman appeared very frightened and nervous as she told the court that El F. forced her and her husband to rent a house in Brussels, and the three of them travelled there together on a few occasions. El F. also threatened her with a gun, she said.
| "Make me breakfast or I'll plug yez, bitch!" |
S. recounted how when walking in the Amsterdamse Bos (wood) with her husband and El F., the accused man took out a gun and began shooting. He also made them fire the gun. "I was very frightened, also because I was afraid I would be shot," she said. The trial continues.
Posted by: lotp 2005-12-17 |
