Image
Tuesday, 25 August 2015 - 15:55
Alleged Amsterdam terrorist may get four years for police attack plans
The Public Prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of four years against terror suspect Mohammed B. in the court of Rotterdam on Tuesday. B. is suspected of planning to commit a terrorist attack against the police and soldiers. According to the Public Prosecutor, B.'s plan is "a terrifying threat to our open and free society".
This is according to AD reporter Cyril Rosman, tweeting live from within the courtroom.
Mohamed B., who was arrested in Amsterdam in October last year, told the court that he is not a terrorist. "I'm a little crazy. I had no friends. I was fooling around on the internet", he said, referring to the Facebook chat conversations that the Public Prosecutor is using as evidence against him. In these chats he portrayed himself as a supporter of terrorist organization Islamic State and stated that he wanted to blow up the United States embassy in The Hague. "I never had the intention of throwing a bomb."
Other evidence against B. includes a letter written to the Dutch government reading: “This letter is from the followers of Islamic state to the Dutch Government. If you take part in the devilish coalition against the state, by Allah, then your days will be black. Oh Dutch people, we are the lions who swear by Allah: eye for eye, tooth for tooth, an oath of allegiance to IS”. The letter was never actually sent. And a notebook containing instructions on how to build a bomb. According to B. the letter was a only a fabrication. "I watched the news and then wrote things on it", he said to the court, repeating that he was only fooling around.
B.'s lawyer Andre Seebregts also previously stated that his client is not a terrorist and only made boasts on the internet to impress women.
Psychiatrists that examined B.'s mental state to judge his accountability concluded that he suffers from a "narcissistic theatrical personality disorder". "But B. is not crazy", the judge said.