A 24-year-old man from Naaldwijk who wanted to travel to ISs conflict zone is facing a demand from the Public Prosecution Service for 24 months in prison followed by TBS with compulsory treatment. The suspect, born in Syria, was arrested in May last year on a bus in Paris. He was presumably on his way to Somalia to join the terrorist organization IS. It became clear in the Rotterdam court on Monday that the suspect was heavily radicalized and possibly willing to carry out a suicide attack.
The investigation into the suspect began after reports from the intelligence service AIVD. These reports indicated that the suspect was an adherent of jihadist ideology and was about to travel abroad. He wanted to participate in armed struggle and was allegedly willing to carry out attacks. The suspect appears to have boarded a coach from The Hague to Paris on May 14, 2024. That same evening, he was arrested in France and two weeks later transferred to the Netherlands.
Suicide Attacks
On his phone, the police found publications from IS, IS propaganda messages, but also explanations on carrying out suicide attacks and manuals for making bomb belts and explosives. It also appears that the suspect extensively chatted on Telegram with others about traveling abroad, including to Iraq and Africa. The suspect expressed his desire to join the armed struggle alongside IS. He was informed that IS was difficult to reach in Iraq, but that jihadist struggle in Somalia offered opportunities. Search history reveals that the suspect was indeed looking for cheap flights from Morocco to Somalia or Iraq. He also chatted about a small operation he planned to undertake, which he also wanted to film.
Message to the Dutch State
An audio message was also found in which the suspect speaks a message to the Dutch state: “France, they attacked Morocco, America too. They have occupied Syria. The Netherlands has bombed Iraq and Syria. That’s you. Even if you have nothing to do with it.”
The suspect himself states that he planned to first travel to Madrid and then possibly to the IS conflict zone, but he denies that he wanted to engage in armed struggle. He expressed a desire to live in an Islamic environment, also to overcome his drug addiction. The small operation referred to his intention to burn a Bible.
The Public Prosecution Service takes the suspects plans seriously:
The suspect is partially accountable given the identified disorders. These disorders have influenced the suspects actions.
The Public Prosecution Service suspects the suspect of preparing terrorist offenses because he gathered information for a long time on how to join IS, attacks claimed by IS, and ways to carry out an attack. According to the Public Prosecution Service, a prison sentence of 24 months and TBS with compulsory treatment is appropriate.