Counterterrorism boss hid concerns about covert investigations into Islamic groups

The former National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), Dick Schoof, was not forthcoming about concerns his staff had about a covert program to gather intelligence about mosques operating in the Netherlands, according to new research by NRC. The office of the NCTV paid for municipalities in the country to hire a private investigation firm to carry out undercover operations to dig into local Islamic groups, the newspaper reported based on emails obtained under the Open Government Act.

Schoof was aware of his officials’ concerns by July 2017, who said the program carried a “serious risk of illegality.” They were particularly concerned about municipalities outsourcing the investigation to a private company that basically deputized people to “operate as a kind of intelligence service, something that is not allowed by law, and is also not proportionate."

Schoof is now the most senior civil servant at the Ministry of Justice and Security. Five years ago, as NCTV, he was responsible for addressing concerns that mayors had when implementing the program. A minimum of a month after Schoof was made aware of the legal concerns, he was approached by Almere’s mayor, Franc Weerwind, who is now the Minister of Legal Protection.

Weerwind was hesitant, and concerned that the program could cause a rift in relations with the Islamic community, and would bring “reputational damage” if the investigation ever saw the light of day. Schoof reassured the mayor, and convinced him of the program’s value while brushing aside Weerwind’s concerns. The NCTV never mentioned that his own staff had similar concerns. Schoof later told the Tweede Kamer that he should have taken mayors’ concerns more seriously.

Weerwind went ahead and hired someone who worked for the private company, reportedly called NTA. That person visited mosques in an attempt to determine if a deeper investigation was necessary. Weerwind gave a green light to the thorough investigation in 2021, but it was called off in October of that year after NRC first reported on the allegations.

The few municipalities that did go ahead with the deeper investigations essentially authorized NTA to try and gather intelligence from the Islamic organizations covertly, and without explicitly stating their relationship to government figures. They then produced detailed reports on those involved, which included very private information about the subjects.

The emails obtained by the newspaper show Schoof thought there was enormous potential to uncover information about radicalization within the Islamic groups, despite his workers’ legal and ethical objections. NTA told NRC that the emails are “the personal views” of a single NCTV employee, and that it misrepresents the manner in which they carried out their work. NTA also denied breaking any laws, and said it did not conduct any sneaky undercover investigations into mosques.

Weerwind was not willing to comment on the matter.