Expatica's Dutch news in English: 'Samir wants to die as a martyr to Islam,' court hears
Expatica’s Dutch news in English: ‘Samir wants to die as a martyr to Islam,’ court hears
AMSTERDAM — Samir A. resumed plotting terrorist attacks in the Netherlands almost immediately after his release from a short jail sentence last year, a prosecutor told a trial in Rotterdam on Friday.
The criminal intelligence department of the police in Utrecht was told by an informant that the 19-year-old Dutch-Moroccan had had resumed his activities shortly after he served a a short sentence.
That jail sentence was imposed on him for assaulting a photographer following his acquittal by another court of plotting terrorism.
The prosecutor told the panel of three judges on the first day of the new trial on Friday that Samir A. “wanted to leave his mark on the world” and
“die as a martyr”. The informer told the police Samir A. had taken over the leadership role the man dubbed the “Syrian”.This Syrian man left the Netherlands around the time filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered by Islamic extremist Mohammed B. The Syrian, the authorities say, was the spiritual leader of the Hofstadgroep. This is the code name investigators gave to a group of young Muslims, including Mohammed B., who were allegedly part of a Muslim terrorist organization.
Samir A. and six young Muslims linked to him were arrested in police raids on 14 October last year. Two other people were arrested later. Four men remain in custody.
The police say they carried out the raids to prevent attacks on national politicians. They discovered a video testament made by Samir A,., which allegedly indicated he planned to launch a suicide attack.
[Copyright Expatica News ANP 2006]
