Fifth Dutch person arrested in plot to kidnap Belgian politician

In December, a fifth Dutch person was arrested for involvement with the plan to kidnap the Belgian minister of justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne. A spokesperson for the national unit of the police confirmed reports from the Belgian media and Het Parool. The court of Amsterdam will issue a verdict on January 19 about extradition of the suspects.

The police apprehended the suspect after a request for legal assistance from Belgium. The spokesperson could not give any more details about the arrest. According to his lawyer, he was arrested on the December 15.

The new suspect taken into custody is a 22-year-old from The Hague. Lorenzo B. supposedly had a leading role in planning the abduction, according to Parool.

Four people from the Netherlands were arrested earlier in The Hague and Leidschendam.

The men are accused of having planned Van Quickenborne's kidnapping, which was foiled just in time, said the police. They allegedly left a car near the minister’s house in Kortrijk with bottles of petrol and an automatic rifle in the vehicle.

Van Quickenborne was forced to go into hiding and was heavily guarded. He thinks the suspects are from “the corners of the drugs mafia,” in his own words.