Five suspects of violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to hear court verdict today

The court will announce its verdict on Tuesday against five suspects who were all involved in the violence surrounding the football match between Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv. Violence broke out near the stadium and mostly in the city center of Amsterdam on November 7 and 8. The incidents led to much anger and outrage and was reported by news channels around the world.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has brought seven cases to the courtroom. The group of suspects turned out to be a rather motley crew, ranging from perpetrators of open violence on the streets to a hotel employee who sent punishable messages in the group app 'Buurthuis 2' during his night shift, including about where Maccabi supporters (whom he described as "those Jews") were hanging out in the city. The cases were heard separately on December 11.

The highest jail sentence recommendation by the OM was 24 months, with six months of those conditionally suspended, for a 32-year-old man who was allegedly involved in four violent incidents in the city center of Amsterdam.

Most of the violence was registered by cameras. The police investigation focused largely on analyzing the images in order to track down suspects.

The court suspended the hearing of two cases. One of them was the most serious; the suspicion in that case concerned attempted manslaughter. The suspect, a 22-year-old Palestinian asylum seeker, is said to have kicked an unknown person four times in the head. This violence is also on camera. The court ordered an investigation into the man's psychology.