MORE TERROR SUSPECTS HOFSTAD GROUP ARRESTED

Last Friday the Dutch police arrested seven terrorism suspects, six men in between 18 and 30 years old and a woman of 24 years old. One of the arrested is Samir A., who was cleared of a charge of the preparation of a terrorist attack earlier this year. The Justice department sees Samir A. as the main suspect. He is suspected of trying to find automatic firearms and explosives and the Dutch authorities suspect Samir A. and others of preparing terrorist attacks on politicians and government buildings.

Because of possible risks during the arrests, a special intervention team was deployed. The government complex in The Hague was totally closed off. Pedestrians and vehicles were stopped and people had to identify themselves. Also the content of rucksacks was checked.

Besides Samir A. also Jermaine W. was arrested. Like his brother Jason W. , Jermaine was also suspected of being a member of a terrorist organisation, but he was allowed to await his trail outside jail, because there was not enough evidence. The process of the first Hofstad group will start on the 5th of December.

About the other detainees very little is known. One of detainees is called Mohammed A. He is the 24 year old son-in-law of the Syrian Redouan al-I., alias Abu Khaled, probably the source of inspiration of the so-called 'Hofstad group', the group that is suspected of planning terrorist attacks in The Netherlands. Besides the house of the killer of moviemaker Theo van Gogh, Mohammed B., also the house of Mohamed A. was used for special gatherings. According to the authorities extremist ideas were discussed during the living room meetings. Abu Kahled left The Netherlands after Mohammed B. killed Van Gogh. Nobody knows where he is at the moment.

The police do not want to say much about the arrests. They declared that they found balaclavas and gasmasks. Practically nothing is known about the other people that were arrested. The woman is the wife of another arrested man and the neighbour of Samir A. is possibly arrested. Presumably he is supporting a non-violent form of radical Islam. He might be arrested because he communicated a lot with Samir A. About a person that is arrested in Amsterdam, nothing is known. It might be a so called 'Polder Mujahideen', in other words a radical convicted native Dutch Muslim.

The rest of the 'Hofstad group' is on trial at the moment. Although Mohammed B is already convicted for life long imprisonment, he is also suspect in the 'Hofstad group' trial. His lawyer had indicated that because he already got the maximum penalty for the murder on Theo van Gogh, he should not be trialled again. According to the lawyer the 'Hofstad group trial is a show process, because Mohammed B. needs to upgrade the evidence against the other suspects. The court will pronounce the sentence as soon as possible. The handling of the case starts the 5th of December 2005.

The Dutch public prosecutor has huge difficulties to sentence people for suspected terrorism. The justice department has two main problems: the rightfulness of the evidence and the moment that suspects are arrested. The problem is that it is very difficult to prove that someone is seriously preparing a terrorist attack. Until now all the Dutch terrorist trials, except the process against Mohammed B., ended with the release of the suspects.

After the first terror trial after the 11th of September 2001, the suspects were released due to a procedural mistake and lack of evidence. Since the judge decided that there was not enough evidence, the suspects would have been released anyway, even when all procedures would have been correct. In June 2003 it became clear that the trail against 12 supposed members of 'Al-Qaeda' had been useless as well. It was impossible to prove their individual involvement in helping the enemy in war time. Only three were convicted to short jail sentences for minor offences, like using a fake passport. Because they had been in jail for a longer period they were released straight after the trial.

Since the first terror-trial started most of the lawyers have stated that the trials are useless and that there is not enough evidence to keep the suspects in custody. The lawyers stress that the Dutch should take care that the efforts to find and convict terrorists should not undermine the Dutch constitutional state. The history of failure in Dutch terror trials will cast their shadow to the outcome of the actual ‘Hofstad group’ trial. If the suspects of the last terror process will be released again, the Dutch justice department will really look like a fool. The Dutch society will end up with fears they cannot interpret and politicians that will demand radical changes of the Dutch constitutional state. more features

October 19, 2005