Dutch MP's shocked by reports of Berlin terrorist traveling through Netherlands
Dutch parliamentarians are shocked by reports in Italian and French media stating that terrorist Anis Amri traveled through the Netherlands after he crashed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin earlier this month. The PVV wants to call parliament back from recess to have a debate on this immediately, the Telegraaf reports.
The Italian and French media reports that Amri was in the Netherlands after his attack on the market in the German capital on December 19th. They based this on a SIM card found in his backpack. The type of SIM card was handed out at Dutch shopping centers between December 20th and 22nd. French media reports that Amri took a bus from Amsterdam's Sloterdijk station to travel to Italy.
PVV leader Geert Wilders wants a debate with Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice immediately. "Our borders are apparently as leaky as a sieve and our country is in great danger", he wrote in an email to the other party leaders. He wants to call parliament back from its three week break for this debate.
The D66 wants answers from Van der Steur before the end of the week, MP Kees Verhoeven said to the newspaper. "How is this possible again?" he wants to know, pointing out that Brussels suicide bomber Ibrahim el Bakraoui also managed to travel through passport control at Schiphol and the Netherlands undetected, despite the fact that Turkey signaled him as suspicious.
CDA parliamentarian Madeleine van Toorenburg would also like a letter from Van der Steur before. "These reports were really quite a shock. I want to know if our country dropped the ball somewhere. Was he in our sights?"
