Dutch police arrest minor in alleged nihilist extremist terror plot
Dutch police have arrested a minor suspected of planning a terrorist offense linked to nihilist violent extremism, authorities said. The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) also warned in a separate report of a growing threat from the same type of extremism, RTL reports.
A police spokesperson confirmed the arrest. Authorities did not disclose where or when the suspect was detained. They said the investigation is still ongoing.
The suspect is accused of preparing a terrorist act inspired by nihilist violent extremism. Officials describe it as an online-driven form of radicalization. It is characterized by the absence of a clear ideological framework.
In its semiannual threat assessment released today, the NCTV said nihilist extremism is an emerging concern. It pointed to a highly violent online subculture with no coherent ideology.
The agency said, "Followers of extremist ideologies share a misanthropic and destructive worldview and commit acts of violence based on that. Within this extremism, violence and chaos are both an end in itself and a means to an end.”
The NCTV also said jihadist extremism remains the dominant terrorist threat in the Netherlands. It said jihadists continue to view the Netherlands as a target. It added that several arrests in the past year support this assessment.
"The jihadist threat remains the determining factor of the terrorist threat. As various arrests in the past year show, jihadists continue to see the Netherlands as a target,” the report said.
The agency also warned that developments involving Iran are increasing the risk of attacks in the Netherlands and across Europe. It described a combined threat involving state activity and terrorism linked to Iranian security services, Iran-related state actors, and pro-Iran extremist groups or individuals.
