Rotterdam, broadcasters say they were unaware of 2020 Eurovision terror plot

The municipality of Rotterdam was not aware of the alleged plans for a terrorist attack at the Eurovision Song Festival in the city in 2020. Het Parool wrote an article about plans for an attack at the festival, but a spokesperson for the municipality said on Tuesday that the municipality was not aware of the plans and had not been notified about them at a later stage.

Het Parool reported Monday that the Luxembourg security services prevented a terrorist attack five years ago targeting the Eurovision Song Contest, which was scheduled to be held in Rotterdam in 2020.

A Swedish student was arrested in Strassen, Luxembourg, in February of that year. The student’s laptop contained documents with plans on poisoning the visitors of the festival and spreading gas via the ventilation system. The suspect allegedly intended to "cause as many casualties as possible" by using explosives and poisoning attendees at Rotterdam Ahoy.

The now 23-year-old Swede was ordered to appear in court in the city of Luxembourg earlier this month, where he heard prosecutors recommend a jail sentence of 12 years. He is accused of being a member of extremist groups, including the neo-nazi paramilitary group The Base. The man in his twenties is said to have had a Dutch accomplice.

The broadcasters NPO and AVROTROS also said that they have been shocked by the report. They, too, had no knowledge of this prior to Het Parool’s article on Monday.

"Of course, we were deeply shocked by this," said the spokesperson for the NPO. "We only became aware of this case through recent media reports. This threat was not known to us at the time. We are awaiting the further course of the legal proceedings."

A spokesperson for the justice services in Luxembourg confirmed the case. The court will announce its verdict in November.

The Song Festival was eventually cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was held in Rotterdam a year later.