Deploy the army to stop domestic terrorists: PVV

Opposition members of parliament say they are concerned with the current state of security measures in the Netherlands. They want the government to prevent attacks similar to those in and around Paris this week, and to raise the readiness of the security forces. The Anti-Islam PVV party says they even want to deploy the army as part of a plan to beef up domestic security.

The recent atrocities in Paris in mind, the opposition MPs point out that there should be no cutbacks on the security sector. They point to the government effort to slash the budget of the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) from 34 million euros down to nine million euros. They say this has put the government under pressure.

PVV leader Geert Wilders wants the army to step in and secure the country. "The government itself admits that it is not tracking all the jihadists that returned" to the Netherlands, he said. "Thus we must ensure that the fighters in the Syrian Civil War cannot come back at all. We should at least detain all the jihadists that are here. They are ticking time bombs."

Wilders says he has little confidence in the security of public places, though he did not state a specific rationale for his belief.

MP Madeleine van Toorenburg (CDA) is particularly worried about the trained jihadists returning from the front. "And then I see the AIVD not at its full strength and people have to rely on police which is overloaded as it is."