Ridouan Taghi extradited to the Netherlands

The authorities in Dubai extradited Ridouan Taghi to the Netherlands on Wednesday. The man considered to be one of the most wanted criminals in the Netherlands arrived on chartered plane, under guard of the Dutch police, during the early hours of Thursday morning, the Public Prosecutor said.

Taghi was arrested quietly in an apartment in Dubai on Monday, the Dutch authorities said on Tuesday. The Dubai authorities requested that the Dutch police pick Taghi up in Dubai, the Prosecutor said. A spokesperson could not tell AD how many people flew from the Netherlands to assist the prisoner's transfer.

Taghi was wanted for ordering multiple murders and assassination attempts in the so-called Marengo process. He and the organization he allegedly runs were tied to at least nine assassinations, and several failed murders or canceled attacks. He was implicated by the prosecution's key witness Nabil B., whose attorney, Derk Wiersum, was murdered at his home in Amsterdam this past September. The Public Prosecution Service in the Netherlands was also building a case connecting Taghi to motorcycle gang Caloh Wagoh, which may have committed assassinations at Taghi's behest.

After Taghi's arrest in Dubai, the police raided eight homes in various parts of the Netherlands. Six people were arrested, including Taghi's sister, according to some Dutch media.

The man was taken to a penitentiary institution after his arrival in the Netherlands. Taghi is being held in the most secure prison facility in the country, located in Vught, Noord-Brabant, according to several Dutch media outlets The next hearing in the Marengo process is scheduled for February.