Sovereign citizens' arrest linked to threat to NATO summit
The arrest of eight “sovereign citizens” last week was tied to a threat surrounding the NATO summit happening in The Hague next week, sources close to the investigation told De Stentor. Seven of the suspects are still in custody.
The eight are suspected of planning to use violence. The police found weapons, drugs, possible explosives, and unidentified substances when raiding their homes. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) would not confirm that the NATO summit was a potential target.
According to De Stentor, one of the arrested “sovereigns” is lawyer Arno van K. from Leeuwarden. He has filed several lawsuits against the current NATO chief, Mark Rutte, among other things, for alleged damage caused by coronavirus vaccinations.
Also among the arrested are Marieke de V. (40) from Witharen and her partner Bram G. (47). According to De Stentor, they are part of the anti-government movement Common Law Nederland Earth. According to the OM, the movement denies the legitimacy of the Dutch government and considers the use of violence justified to topple it.
Sources around Common Law Nederland Earth told the newspaper that Marieke de V. is a “sheriff” in the movement, and that has earned her nicknames like “power woman.” She made a strong profile for herself during the pandemic and during the farmers’ protests of 2022 and 2023, attending almost all demonstrations and contributing ideas on Telegram. Her ideas became increasingly extreme, going from playful banners above the highway to using violence and kidnapping.
Arms dealer Jan B. (74) from Gilze-Rijen was also arrested. Marieke de V. had contact with him for some time, the newspaper’s sources said. The other suspects are men from Leeuwarden (66), Waadhoeke (61), Den Bosch (55), and Súdwest-Fryslân (39). Their connection to each other is unclear.
Bram G. is the only suspect that has been released from custody, but remains a suspect in the case. He refused to comment to De Stentor.
