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Dutch hold man suspected of ties to militant group

Reuters, UK
Oct. 28, 2005
www.alertnet.org

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Sunday October 30, 2005

AMSTERDAM, Oct 28 (Reuters) – Dutch police arrested a 28-year-old man on Friday suspected of ties to a group of Islamic militants, the national prosecutor’s office said.

The man is under investigation because of a possible connection to the so-called Hofstad group, a network suspected of threatening to kill Dutch politicians critical of Islam, spokesman Wim de Bruin said.

“He is also being questioned over a supermarket robbery last year that involved Samir A.,” said de Bruin.

Samir Azzouz, 19, suspected of being a member of the Hofstad group, was among seven people arrested in anti-terror raids two weeks ago, six months after he was acquitted of charges he planned attacks on government buildings.

The Dutch government has said the country faces a significant threat of becoming the target of a terrorist attack.

The Hofstad group is also suspected of links to the man charged with the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in November 2004.

Twelve members of the group were detained after van Gogh was killed. They face trial for membership of a criminal organisation and planning to kill prominent politicians.

Van Gogh’s murder prompted tit-for-tat attacks on mosques, religious schools and churches. His self-confessed killer, an Amsterdam-born Muslim, received a life sentence in July.