Rotterdam teen arrested for plotting a terror attack, prosecutors say
The police arrested a 19-year-old Rotterdam man last week on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. Once investigators were tipped off about the man, they "immediately took action," the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Tuesday.
Prosecutors learned about the suspect after receiving information from domestic intelligence service AIVD. The OM did not release details about the plot, if the prospect of an attack was imminent, or the suspect's alleged motive.
He was taken into custody in his home on Thursday. Investigators searching his home that day did not find any weapons. There were no explosives found at the scene, the OM said. Authorities seized several electronic devices containing data as part of the investigation.
"The Rotterdam resident was brought before the examining magistrate on Friday, March 29," the OM said. During the arraignment, the magistrate overseeing the investigation remanded the suspect into pre-trial detention for 14 days, the maximum allowable at the time.
The suspect can remain in custody for successive periods of 90 days at the discretion of the district court handling the case. The magistrate also ordered the suspect to remain in restricted custody. He will only be allowed to maintain contact with his attorney for the time being.
The OM will also likely remain under a gag order at least until the first public hearing in two weeks.
