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Teen ‘bomb maker’ remanded in custody

ANP, via Expatica.com, Netherlands
July 15, 2005
www.expatica.com

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Friday July 15, 2005

AMSTERDAM — A 17-year-old youth who allegedly had an improvised explosive device in his parents’ home in Amsterdam has been remanded in custody.

A judge in the Children’s Court agreed with a prosecution demand on Thursday to detain the suspect while the investigation continues.

The teenager came to police attention during the investigation into the Hofstadgroep, the name given to a group of young Dutch Muslims who the authorities allege have formed a terrorist organisation.

Mohammed B., 27, is alleged to have been a central figure in the group. B. has admitted to killing filmmaker Theo van Gogh and a verdict is expected in his case later this month.

The unnamed teenager in the bomb case was arrested in his parents’ home in the Amsterdam-Osdorp district last Monday. The bomb has been described as “potentially dangerous”. It consisted of a cardboard bar filled with gun powder, small bullets and a detonator.

Initial reports suggested the youth’s parents were Dutch and British, but he was described as Dutch in the latest media reports. He converted to Islam at the age of 14.

Police are trying to establish if he was in contact with the Hofstadgroep and what he intended to do with the bomb.