Prosecutor increasingly convinced Hague stabbings had terrorist motive

The Public Prosecutor is increasingly convinced that Malek F. had a terrorist motive when he stabbed three people in The Hague in May. A report from Islam experts and bugged conversations F. had since his arrest show that the 32-year-old Syrian refugee had been radicalized, the Prosecutor said in a pro-forma hearing against F. on Monday, NOS reports.

In tapped conversations between F. and his mother and brother, F. said that he was "inspired by god" and had "seen the promised virgins", that "the jihad is obligatory for all Muslims", and that he "went out into the street to slaughter unbelievers", according to the Prosecutor. The conversations also show that F. does not regret his actions, the Prosecutor said. "The only regret he has is that he also stabbed a Muslim."

According to the Prosecutor, F. was inspired by extremist motives, but acted on his own - he is not affiliated wit a terrorist organization.

During the hearing on Monday, it was also revealed that forensic experts still have not succeeded in breaking into F.'s mobile phone, and that a second broken phone still hasn't been repaired. F. continues to refuse to cooperate with the investigation.

The Public Prosecutor previously stated that there are indications that F. acted from a terrorist motive.

His lawyer denies this, saying that during the tapped conversations F. was mentally ill. According to the lawyer, F. had lost it when he attacked the three people on the street near train station Hollands Spoor. He's been struggling with psychological problems since his father drowned in an attempt to come to Europe, the lawyer said. F. was previously admitted to mental health institution Parnassia in The Hague for a short time. It was then found that he suffered from a religious psychosis, according to the lawyer.