Suspect who threatened to kill everyone at Oisterwijk school accused of terrorism

The 20-year-old man who walked into a primary school and started making threats in Oisterwijk, Noord-Brabant in November is being accused of threatening a terrorist crime, Zeeland West-Brabant District Court in Breda said on Wednesday. The suspect, Sofian T., was heavily under the influence of alcohol and drugs during the incident, according to his lawyer.

T. entered the primary school on November 14, 2023, around 8 a.m. on the Willem de Zwijgerlaan. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) claims that T. said that he was armed, carrying a bomb, and vowed to kill everyone. It is noted in the indictment that the suspect also said "Allahu Akbar" (god is great).

The suspect denies most of the accusations. "He would only have said incoherent things in unintelligible Arabic language because he was seriously under the influence of alcohol and drugs," his lawyer said. There was no intention to threaten a terrorist crime, the attorney claims. He calls it a "drunk action" by a young person who could not foresee the consequences of his actions.

The OM thinks that the suspect being under the influence does not change the fact that his statements should be taken seriously. "Many people do very bad things while under the influence."

The school was evacuated after the man's comments. There were no weapons or explosives found in or around the school building, the police announced. No weapons or explosives were found on the man either. He was arrested at around 12:20 p.m. in the nearby area. T. was not present in the court on Wednesday.

The man will remain in custody for the time being and will undergo psychiatric evaluation. There are concerns about how he functions in society. The man is known to the police. He was also involved in reports of a bomb at The Hague central station, according to the judge.

The following interim session is set for May 27.