Two arrested for planning attacks in Netherlands, Paris
Two men were arrested in Rotterdam on June 17th on suspicion of planning attacks in the Netherlands and France, the Public Prosecutor announced on Monday. The suspects are 22 and 27 years old, and both of Moroccan nationality. They were arrested based on information from intelligence agency AIVD, the Prosecutor said.
The AIVD received information that one of the suspects wanted to commit an attack in Paris after Ramadan. "He wanted to die as a martyr and was excited about what he would find in paradise", the Prosecutor said. Investigation into chat conversations revealed a possible plan for an attack aimed at the security services in the Netherlands. "In one chat conversation, one of the suspects mentioned a plan for an attack. He also sent a photo of the Veranda police station in Rotterdam."
No weapons or explosives were found when the men were arrested last month. The arrests were only made public today, as the two suspects were in restricted custody until now. They were arraigned on Monday and remanded into another 90 days of custody.
Rotterdam police chief Frank Paauw said that the photo of the Rotterdam police station that surfaced in this investigation made police officers uncomfortable, according to NU.nl. "It has an impact on the Rotterdam unit and on colleagues across the country", he said. The officers stationed at the Veranda station were notified on Monday.
