AMSTERDAM — A 22-year-old man has been arrested in Amsterdam as part of the investigation into a suspected Muslim terror group in the Netherlands. The suspect was armed with a loaded machine pistol, Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner told Parliament on Thursday. | Merely a holy relic, passed from father to son. |
A 32-year-old Dutchman was arrested by police in London on Wednesday at the request of the Dutch authorities. He is wanted for questioning in relation to the investigation into the Hofstadgroep.
Several young Muslim men are in custody in the Netherlands on charges of belonging to the suspected terror group and planning attacks in the Netherlands. They were arrested last year after the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam on 2 November. Mohammed B. who has confessed to murdering Van Gogh, is due to appear in court in Amsterdam on 12 and 13 July. Prosecutors claim B. was a key member of the Hofstadgroep and that his house was used for the group's meetings.
The latest arrest in London came about after the suspect can to police attention in the Netherlands as part of an inquiry into human smuggling. While the Dutch authorities have declined to talk about the suspicions against him, Scotland Yard in London has revealed the man is suspected of recruiting people for terrorist activities. He is also suspected of involvement with firearms and falsification of documents. |