Tuesday, 20 January 2015 - 13:52
Utrecht man sought in Belgium terrorism case
A Dutchman was involved in the terrorist cell in Veviers, Belgium, NOS reports. The man, Zaid Koullis from Utrecht, has been missing for some time. Justice in Belgium would not give any information on the case.
The 18 year old from Utrecht apparently fled to Spain along with another member of the cell, the 21 year old Belgian Abdelmouneim Haddad. The AD reports that Koullis has a (possibly fake) Dutch passport in his possession. Both of these suspects are registered in the Schenning Information System, an international tracking system. It is suspected that the two carry firearms with them and have plans to travel towards Iraq or Saudi Arabia, AD reports.
Members of the terrorist cell in Verviers were monitored by the police for weeks before they performed a major anti-terror action on Thursday. Three suspected jihadists were shot during the raid in Veviers on Thursday, two of them died. Several of the suspects were jihad-fighters in Syria. A fake Dutch passport was found on one of the slain jihadists.
According to the Belgian Public Prosecutor, the suspects were planning to carry out attacks on courthouses and police stations. Raids were also done in other parts of Belgium. A total of 15 people were arrested. Four people were arrested in Athens, Greece this weekend who were involved in the Belgian terror cell. Initially there were reports that the mastermind behind the terrorist cell was caught, but these reports were later denied.
Three of the suspects will appear in court tomorrow, where it will be decided whether they will remain in custody