Terrorist threat level remains "substantial"

The terrorist threat level remains substantial and the probability of a terrorist attack in the Netherlands remains real. There are, however, currently no concrete indications of planned attacks in the country. This is according to the Terrorist Threat Assessment Netherlands and the progress report of the Action Program Integrated Approach Jihadism that was sent to the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, yesterday. According to the assessment, the attacks in Paris and Copenhagen and the foiled attack in Veviers, Belgium, confirm the threat against Europe and also the Netherlands and the Action Program will therefore be fully maintained. As in the previous two assessments, the number of foreign rebel fighters traveling to jihad areas shows a small but steady increase. Around 190 people have now left the Netherlands to go to a jihad area, of which about 35 have returned and 30 were killed. The Action Program obviously focuses heavily on the immediate reduction of the treat and the protection of the democratic state. The government is also committed to preventing radicalization and terrorism and to increase the resilience of society in the long term. But according to the report, safety can not be 100 percent guaranteed and the authorities therefore assess the package of measures on a daily basis to make sure they are sufficient.