Prosecutors drop Maccabi assault cases after Amsterdam metro footage erased
Dutch prosecutors have allegedly dismissed multiple criminal complaints involving Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters after surveillance footage from Amsterdam’s metro system—potentially key evidence—was discovered to have been deleted due to equipment replacement and short retention policies, according to NOS.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed it has dropped two separate investigations into violent incidents involving Maccabi supporters that took place around a match against Ajax in November last year. The incidents occurred in the metro system, where confrontations broke out between groups of supporters and counter-protesters. Footage that could have supported the allegations was reportedly not preserved, the OM said Sunday.
Transport company GVB acknowledged that the video recordings were lost because recording devices were replaced on November 12—five days after the unrest in the city. "Unfortunately, this necessary replacement, combined with a limited retention period, resulted in the footage no longer being available," a GVB spokesperson said. The company added that although the standard retention period is one week, recordings are sometimes saved for less time.
The OM explained that the video material had already been erased by the time officers attempted to retrieve it, despite the first reports being filed on November 14. The lawyer for the complainants had reportedly urged the OM at the time to act quickly to secure the recordings.
Two women had filed complaints linked to the November 2023 incidents. One woman said she was assaulted at Centraal Station after shouting “Free Palestine” toward a group of Israeli supporters headed to the stadium. She reported being hit, spat on, and pulled by her hair.
According to her complaint, police were present but failed to intervene. The OM confirmed there were officers at the location but said they were engaged in general surveillance, not responding to any specific report. The incident was not officially registered by police, and no record of it exists in their system.
The second woman said she and another woman, both wearing headscarves, were sitting in the metro several days before the match when Maccabi fans yelled “We will kill all of you” at them. However, according to the OM, even if the footage had existed, the threat would have been unprovable because the metro system does not record audio. GVB confirmed that sound is not recorded in metro cars.
One case that may still lead to prosecution involves damage to a taxi on the Rokin. Dashcam video captured a man dressed in black striking the windshield, reportedly with a chain lock. The OM believes it may have been a belt. The suspect was recently recognized by Israeli authorities, and Dutch prosecutors are now awaiting his identity.
A separate report by another taxi driver was also dismissed. His vehicle was allegedly struck by what appeared to be a glass bottle. While the dashcam showed an object being thrown, the video quality was too poor to identify the perpetrator.
Adem Çatbas, the lawyer representing the four complainants, criticized the authorities for allowing the investigations to collapse. “It’s clear the police failed on multiple fronts,” he told NOS. “Both at the scene with the taxi drivers and at the metro station, the police were present and did not intervene.”
He also questioned the timing of GVB’s deletion of footage, which occurred “when the entire city was in turmoil.” Over the past months, Çatbas said he repeatedly asked the OM whether all relevant footage had been secured but received no answers—something that reportedly frustrated his clients.
He accused the OM of moving too slowly to identify suspects and questioned whether officials gave the misconduct by Israeli supporters sufficient priority. “It’s remarkable that a suspect who is clearly visible on camera was identified but still hasn’t been prosecuted after eight months,” Çatbas told NOS.
Two official investigations into the conduct of the police, the OM, and the Amsterdam municipality during the Maccabi riots are set to be released Monday. The reports are expected to examine whether authorities were adequately prepared for the violence surrounding the match.
