Tuesday, 23 July 2013 - 08:34
Jihadists Recruiter Arrested
A teenager was arrested in the Netherlands for allegedly recruiting jihadists to battle in Syria, together with radical Muslim rebels.
Free Syrian Army rebels take up positions along an embankment on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Maraat al-Numan, Syria.
Freedom House/flickr "The woman was arrested and has been remanded for two weeks while an investigation is underway," Nicolette Stoel, spokeswoman for the Public Prosecutor's office in The Hague, said. The country has been increasingly alarmed by young Dutch Muslims joining a group of fighters bound for Syria. Based on a British study in April, no less than 107 Dutch citizens were combating President Bashar al-Assad's troops in the country widely damaged as the result of war. On Wednesday, police arrested the teenager in Zoetermeer, nearby The Hague after families filed complaints on the enlistment of their relatives. The president of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar Al-Assad during a visit to Congress in Brazil
Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom / ABr/Wikimedia Commons "In some of the complaints people who are allegedly enlisting fighters are named," Stoel said. The suspect, a 19-year-old woman, will stay in prison for two weeks facing a court decision if her case should proceed. "At this stage she is only allowed contact with her lawyer," Stoel said. "In the meantime, a broader investigation into the recruitment by radical Muslims of young people to fight in Syria is underway. First and foremost we have to make sure their safety as they want to travel to a dangerous area," she added. Public prosecutors said that despite the fact that officials cannot prevent future jihadists from exiting the country, they can fight recruitment. This type of recruitment is lawfully wrong and offenders can face a maximum of four-year imprisonment or a penalty of €78,000. Dutch police arrested three budding jihadists who were ready to leave in November 2012. They were in possession of a sword, knives, and a cross-bow. The police force was also able to seize packed backpacks, letters of goodbye, and many jihadist writings. Source: Middle East Online
Freedom House/flickr "The woman was arrested and has been remanded for two weeks while an investigation is underway," Nicolette Stoel, spokeswoman for the Public Prosecutor's office in The Hague, said. The country has been increasingly alarmed by young Dutch Muslims joining a group of fighters bound for Syria. Based on a British study in April, no less than 107 Dutch citizens were combating President Bashar al-Assad's troops in the country widely damaged as the result of war. On Wednesday, police arrested the teenager in Zoetermeer, nearby The Hague after families filed complaints on the enlistment of their relatives. The president of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar Al-Assad during a visit to Congress in Brazil
Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom / ABr/Wikimedia Commons "In some of the complaints people who are allegedly enlisting fighters are named," Stoel said. The suspect, a 19-year-old woman, will stay in prison for two weeks facing a court decision if her case should proceed. "At this stage she is only allowed contact with her lawyer," Stoel said. "In the meantime, a broader investigation into the recruitment by radical Muslims of young people to fight in Syria is underway. First and foremost we have to make sure their safety as they want to travel to a dangerous area," she added. Public prosecutors said that despite the fact that officials cannot prevent future jihadists from exiting the country, they can fight recruitment. This type of recruitment is lawfully wrong and offenders can face a maximum of four-year imprisonment or a penalty of €78,000. Dutch police arrested three budding jihadists who were ready to leave in November 2012. They were in possession of a sword, knives, and a cross-bow. The police force was also able to seize packed backpacks, letters of goodbye, and many jihadist writings. Source: Middle East Online