Amsterdam mayor bans uncooperative assassination target from city

Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan banned an uncooperative assassination target from part of the city this past week, police commissioner Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said on AT5 program Het Verhoor on Thursday. "The ban means that he may not come into a specific area i the city. If he goes there, we will arrest him." Aalbersberg said, adding that this is "a concrete case where there really is a threat of assassination. When asked if it is right to impose bans on potential victims, Aalbersberg answered: "These are not lovable victims. We are talking about people who are in the criminal world. They know that they are on an assassination list. Nevertheless they choose not to cooperate with the police and be open about things." Their presence in certain areas put others at risk, according to Aalbersberg. "Yes, it is a potential victim, but one who chooses to stay active in the criminal environment." He added that in this case, banning the potential victim from areas of the city is good for the safety of the city as a whole.