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| Europe |
| Dutch intelligence translator who sold out Van Gogh jugged |
| 2005-12-15 |
| A Moroccan-Dutch translator, who worked for the Dutch intelligence service AIVD, has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for leaking confidential information to terrorist suspects. A court in Rotterdam imposed the sentence on Outman Ben A., 34, for leaking state secrets, some of which came into the hands of suspected members of the Hofstadgroep. Ben A., who translated Arabic into Dutch for the AIVD, has consistently denied the allegations against him. "I feel really I have been treated in a rotten way," he said when the verdict was announced. He is appealing against the conviction. Mohammed B, the man who killed film director Theo van Gogh - and 13 other Muslims are on trial in Amsterdam on charges of membership of the Hofstadgroep. The authorities claim the group is a fundamentalist Muslim terror network in the Netherlands. Prosecutors had sought an eight-year sentence for Ben A., who has been in custody for over a year. The Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) had worked hard in this case as a very serious crime had been committed, justice officials said. The leaked documents referred to ongoing and highly sensitive operational activities by the AIVD in relation to terrorism. Leaking this material - including the transcripts of phone taps - posed serious risks to the investigations, prosecutors argued. The court agreed, and said the leaking of the information could have posed serious dangers to Dutch society. The presiding judge made clear that the suspicion could not be discounted that Ben A. had deliberately infiltrated the AIVD to steal information. Prosecutors said Ben A. leaked a number of documents, including the contents of an intercepted telephone conversation to Hofstadgroep suspect A. H. on 5 August 2004. He sent another Hofstad suspect M.B. a progress report on the AIVD's investigation into the group. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #6 ... jailed for four-and-a-half years for leaking confidential information to terrorist suspects [ including] ... Mohammed B, the man who killed film director Theo van Gogh ... Seems like an awfully short sentence for someone who served as an accessory to murder. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-12-15 12:34 |
| #5 It's Expatica's policy and has been for years. Something about being "Innocent unless proven even more innocent of being a traitorous murdering weasel scumbag of a loserr jihadi wannabe." Usually I'll just run the first name and a few trial/charge sheet details through Google News to find the full name. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-12-15 10:32 |
| #4 The leaked documents referred to ongoing and highly sensitive operational activities by the AIVD in relation to terrorism. Leaking this material - including the transcripts of phone taps - posed serious risks to the investigations, prosecutors argued. The court agreed, and said the leaking of the information could have posed serious dangers to Dutch society. Oh, those backward Dutch! Don't they know that leaking the details of anti-terrorist operations is the highest form of patriotism? Why, it's the very duty of intelligence services to let this stuff out! |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-12-15 10:29 |
| #3 Probably not, but the Dutch government may be. Having two legislators live under lock down has changed their view of domestic security. |
| Posted by: Glineth Glising4667 2005-12-15 10:28 |
| #2 What's with the initials? Is Expatica afraid that these guys are going to get lynched or something? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-12-15 10:18 |
| #1 four-and-a-half years If he doesn't win on one of his appeals, i wouldn't be surprised if he got out for time served |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-12-15 02:33 |