In the retrial of the ‘Hofstad’ group, the Dutch Public Prosecution Office has demanded 17 years in prison against one of the main members of the alleged terrorist organisation.
Seven men are being retried for belonging to an organisation aimed at committing acts of terrorism.
Members of the group were arrested in 2004, shortly after the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. One of the members of the group, Mohammed Bouyeri, is currently serving life for the murder – he is not involved in this trial.
The PPO wants Jason Walters to be sentenced to 17 years in prison for throwing a hand grenade at police.
A court in The Hague found the men guilty in 2006, but two years later an appeal court ruled that the criteria used by the lower court were applied too strictly. The court of appeal overturned the terrorist aspect of the conviction. The Supreme Court ordered a retrial. Now the case is being retried in Amsterdam.
[…]The public prosecution says the crimes are very serious as acts of terrorism not only cause suffering to those directly involved, but they are also aimed at disrupting democratic society.
[…more…]
See Also
• Hofstad Network (Wikipedia entry)