Suspect in Rotterdam terror threat to be released from custody

A 22-year-old man from Zevenbergen arrested in August in connection with a terrorism threat in Rotterdam, must be released from custody, the court in Rotterdam ruled on Wednesday. Jimmy F. will be released on Monday, because further investigation must be done as to whether he's at risk, his lawyer Karianne Bal said to NU.nl.

F.'s release is linked to a number of conditions. If he does not hold to these conditions, he will be taken back into custody, according to the newspaper.

On August 23rd, a concert by American band Allah-Las in the Maassilo in Rotterdam was canceled after the authorities received information about a possible attack. F. was arrested a few hours later in his home in Zevenbergen. He was suspected of posting a message about a threat around the concert through encrypted messaging service Telegram.

The Public Prosecutor initially charged F. with involvement in terrorist offenses. But his lawyer called these charges nonsense. According to her, F. only had "good intentions" and was trying to trap terrorists online. "I am convinced that he is not guilty of any criminal offenses", she said. "He thought he was talking to an ISIS sympathizer", she added about the chat conversation that probably led to his arrest. Trying to find out terrorists' plans is F.'s hobby, according to the lawyer.

The terrorism charges against F. were later dropped due to a lack of evidence. He is now only suspected of incitement.