Dutch man held in alleged right-wing terror plot after tip
A 25-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in Nieuwegein on suspicion of involvement in a right-wing terrorism plot after authorities received a tip, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said Friday. The man is alleged to be a follower of right-wing extremist ideology and expressed violent intentions.
The criminal investigation was launched based on information provided by the AIVD, the Dutch civilian intelligence agency. “The man was said to be a supporter of right-wing extremist ideology and sees himself as part of a battle. He was also said to have expressed violent intentions and may have been in possession of a firearm,” the OM said.
When his home was raided, investigators found a double-edged bayonet and two historical firearms which were deactivated. The items were seized along with telephones and other data carriers, the OM stated.
He is suspected of involvement in “terrorist crimes,” the OM continued. It was not specified what the man may have been planning, or if he had started preparations to carry out any specific acts of terrorism.
Still, the intelligence from the AIVD and the evidence gathered by a national police unit was enough for prosecutors to ask that he remain in custody. During a preliminary hearing at the District Court of Rotterdam on Friday, an examining magistrate remanded the suspect to jail for at least 14 more days.
In the meantime, the investigation is continuing as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the alleged plot and the suspect’s potential involvement in terrorist activities. His next hearing will be a closed-door arraignment before a panel of judges at the district court, who will then decide whether to keep the Nieuwegein man in pretrial detention for up to 90 more days.
Authorities in the Netherlands have raised alarm bells regarding right-wing extremism and the growing threat of violent acts from people in those circles. Dutch counter-terrorism office NCTV specifically warned that such groups are becoming more willing to find justification for violence, and have become more likely to promote acts of domestic terrorism.
In December, the NCTV indicated the risk of a terrorist attack in the Netherlands was “substantial,” placing the risk at nearly the most severe threat level on a five-point scale. The office warned of a “realistic” chance that an attack could occur because of how rapidly young people can be radicalized online, both in right-wing extremist groups and jihadist circles. The office said it knew of active chat groups with hundreds of participants as young as 14 who were at risk of being radicalized.
