Leiden University student suspected of stalking and making threats

A 32-year-old student who allegedly sent threatening messages and a funeral card to The Hague campus of Leiden University last year will face prosecution and a court trial. He was arrested in The Hague with a stabbing weapon in his pocket on January 19, and has been in custody ever since.

At the first preliminary court hearing it became clear on Monday that the man will remain in pre-trial detention until his case is heard. It was not immediately clear if the suspected crimes were linked to the campus being placed on lockdown last year.

The Nigerian man allegedly wrote that he was looking for a dagger, and he made references to the fatal shooting at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. The incident left three people dead in September 2023.

The messages were sent to several teachers between October 2023 and January 2024, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said. The man is suspected of violating laws related to stalking and threats.

The suspect's lawyer said that a false impression of her client's intentions has been manufactured by investigators. She confirmed that he sent messages to teachers, but said that when he used the Dutch word for a dagger, "dolk," he actually meant to use the word, "tolk," which translates to interpreter.

"He does not have a criminal record," she said after the hearing. "His knife was in a locked section of his suitcase. Everyone peels an apple sometimes."

Still, she did not request that he be released pending trial. He was examined by psychological experts during the time he was in jail. The Public Prosecution Service will explore whether he can be admitted to a psychological facility in the meantime.

In October 2023, the Wijnhaven campus in the center of The Hague was closed for three days due to "an increased safety risk." It is unclear whether this had to do with the student's messages.

The District Court in The Hague has scheduled the trial to take place on July 12.