Prisoner transferred from terrorist department over threats

A man convicted of attacking a mosque in Enschede with a Molotov cocktail, is facing such serious threats in the terrorist department of the prison in Vught that he is being transferred to an ordinary prison. He is constantly threatened by radicalized Muslim prisoners in the same department, RTL Nieuws reports.

A total of five men were sentenced to four years in prison for throwing Molotov cocktails at a mosque in Enschede while there were people, including children, inside. The court considered this an act of terrorism. According to the judge, the men "violently wanted to frighten the municipality of Enschede and the Muslim community to ensure that no asylum center would open in the city". The judge described the attack as "clumsily performed by suspects with low intelligence", but it was still a deliberate act aimed at frightening people. The five men were convicted of arson with terrorist intent.

The man and co-perpetrators were therefore imprisoned in the terrorism department in Vught. He did not feel safe there, showed psychological problems and asked for transfer twice. On Thursday the appeals committee of the Council for Criminal Justice ruled that he can be transferred, according to the broadcaster. 

The prisoner was placed in isolation for over seven months because of the threats. The situation became worse after Muslim prisoners were placed in the department next to the man. A small black gate was the only thing that separated him from the Muslim prisoners in the yard. These prisoners shouted all kinds of threats and curses at the man, which he could hear in his cell.

The appeals committee investigated the situation in Vught and found that the separation in the yard is not sufficient to ward of possible danger. The committee ruled that the man can be transferred to another prison.