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Amsterdam escapes terrorist attack

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Friday March 13, 2009

Bomb threats issued against several stores in south-east Amsterdam today were of a terroristic nature, police has announced.

Amsterdam police have picked up a number of suspects in connection with the threats. Police were alerted to the threats by a phone call originating from a prepaid mobile phone in Brussels, Belgium.

At a press conference this evening, the ‘triangle’ — Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen; Amsterdam’s chief public prosecutor Leo de Wit; and head of police Bernard Welten — announced that 7 people of Dutch nationality with a Moroccan background have been arrested for questioning.

Police have yet to determine whether the seven — 6 men and 1 woman ranging in age from 19 to 64 — are indeed connected to the bomb threats. Several of the people arrested have previously been involved in violent crimes. One of those arrested has a relationship with a person who was involved in the 2004 Madrid train bombing — which was carried out by Islamic terrorists.
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The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism (NCTb) in the Netherlands says there is no reason to raise the threat level. The NCTb’s threat level has been at ‘substantial’ for many months, in large part due to the reaction of Jihadists to the anti-Islam movie, Fitna, produced by a Dutch politician.