Amsterdam man could get 33 months for threatening Dutch PM, inciting terrorist crime

On Wednesday, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded 33 months in prison, 24 months of which conditionally suspended, against Yavuz O. (23) from Amsterdam for threatening Prime Minister Mark Rutte and incitement to commit a terrorist crime.

The OM also wants to ban the man from contacting members of the Cabinet, parliament, and Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema. O. must also not be allowed to post about them for three years and must undergo forced treatment. “He called for violent action - murder, manslaughter, explosions. Terrorist intent,” the prosecutor said.

O. was active on Telegram channels Vrijheid Zonder Uniform and Bataafse Republiek, posting under Liber8. He called on others to storm parliament. “Clear that mess with deadly force.’ O. posted a photo of Ministers with the King. “Thanks to them, the Netherlands is fucked up. I’m going to change that. Just from a car. Open the window. Gun outside. And fire.”

The suspect focused explicitly on the Prime Minister. “Most Dutch people hate Rutte anyway. Grab him from the bike.”

Undercover cops met with O. on July 12 and 16. During those meetings, he allegedly said that he was “looking for weapons.” They arrested him.

During interrogations, O. said he was looking for friends and posted messages “to talk along.” According to OM, others took him seriously and even thought that O. was “on a mission” after his arrest. O.’s words were “no passing thought,” the prosecutor said. “You told the police you would have done it if you had a gun.”

O. denies it. “I would never commit an attack.” His lawyer argued that O. made his statements in a “defined” group on Telegram and that it was not a public cry for attention. “He didn’t want to overthrow the government but was depressed and alone. He found himself listening to things said on Telegram. O. is very lonely but not a terrorist,” the lawyer said. He asked for an acquittal.

The court will rule on December 30. He was released from custody in April but was arrested again on Tuesday for threatening the probation service by telling them, “you will regret this.” The OM did not argue for keeping O. in custody until the verdict.