AMSTERDAM — The lawyer representing Samir A., 19, has sought to question a man, named only as S.B., about his alleged links with the security service AIVD. Lawyer Victor Koppe suggested to an appeal court on Monday that the AIVD - via S.B. - may have had foreknowledge of a robbery at a supermarket in Rotterdam in 2004. The robbery led to a police search of A.'s home. A. was one of the young Dutch Muslims arrested by anti-terror police earlier in October on suspicion of planning terror attacks.Monday's court case involves the State's appeal against the decision by another court earlier this year to clear him of charges relating to his arrest in 2004 after the robbery. He was charged in that case with plotting to attack parliament buildings in The Hague, the Borssele nuclear power station and the AIVD's headquarters. The prosecution said plans of the buildings were found in A.'s house when police searched it.
The judge decided Samir had an above average interest in religious violence but there was insufficient evidence he was planning terror attacks. The prosecution is appealing this decision. A. has decided to remain silent during the appeal because he claims the prosecution has no real evidence against him.
Koppe suggested on Monday that the AIVD was aware of the armed robbery. "I don't rule out that the robbery was carried out with the foreknowledge of the AIVD," he said. The lawyer wants to question 28-year-old S.B. from Rotterdam to verify whether he is an informer working for the AIVD. S.B. was arrested last Friday in relation to the armed robbery in Rotterdam and involvement with the Hofstadgroep. The authorities allege the Hofstadgroep is a Muslim terror group.
The latest arrest came after a media report suggested B. may be working for the AIVD. It suggested that B. was involved in the supermarket robbery and had contact with Samir and other members of the alleged Muslim terror group, the Hofstadgroep.
Jason W., another alleged member of the Hofstadgroep, has claimed S.B. provided him with hand grenades last year. Two police officers were seriously injured by hand grenades during a raid to capture Jason W. and another man in The Hague last November. The two suspects were overpowered after a 14-hour siege.
The prosecutor told the appeals court that S.B. was not arrested until Friday because he had been difficult to trace. S.B. has refused to answer questions so it has not been possible to establish whether he has had contact with the AIVD. Following his arrest, the national office of the public prosecutor's office (OM) said there was no evidence S.B. was working for the security service.
Separately on Monday, Hogeschool Leiden announced Samir A. would not be allowed to continue his chemistry studies there.
| So, in a nutshell, A's mouthpiece sez B (aka S.B.) was a stoolie working for AVID. B gave grenades to W who is in the same group as A, and stuck up a market after telling AVID about it. B ain't talking now. A has a above average interest in jihad and isn't gonna get his chemistry merit badge anytime soon. That certainly clears things up. |