A man from Tajikistan is facing eight years in prison according to the prosecution. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) claims he is a member of ISKP, a branch of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS). He was involved in recruiting members for IS cells in several countries, including the Netherlands, to prepare attacks. Two years after his arrest, the man appeared in court in Rotterdam on Monday.
The 31-year-old Tajik was arrested in 2023 in Eindhoven following an extensive investigation that began with a report from the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). A year earlier, the suspect had come to the Netherlands with his wife from Ukraine, just days after the Russian invasion. The prosecutors stated:
“In a nutshell: the suspect makes himself available for the jihad of IS, either by going to fight in a conflict zone or by carrying out an attack in the West. He also recruits others for IS. This creates attack potential for IS in the West. Furthermore, he raises funds for IS.”
Afghan Branch of IS
ISKP, formally known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, is essentially the Afghan branch of IS. ISKP does not see itself as an independent organization but claims to be part of the caliphate of IS, as a province of this caliphate. In IS documents and propaganda since January 2015, ISKP has consistently been presented as part of IS. The branch is held responsible for bloody attacks in Kabul and Moscow, among others.
Participation in IS
The investigation reveals that the suspect attempted to travel to Syria in 2016 to join IS. That plan failed when he was arrested in Turkey and deported to Ukraine. There, he continued his participation in IS by being part of an IS cell, according to the OM. Once in the Netherlands, the suspect maintained contact with other IS members, including individuals who were later convicted in other European countries for involvement with IS. One of them asks via Telegram when they will carry out an attack here. The suspect replies that he needs to be patient.
‘The act that will have real impact’
According to the suspect, this patience is necessary to avoid being caught for something small, so that they will be able to do something with a significant impact. He cites the attacks in France and Belgium as examples. The suspect notes: ‘Non-believers think they have defeated ISIS, but they do not know they are not safe and they are afraid.’ He provides IS propaganda to an infiltrator and passionately discusses the IS ideology: “He said he also wanted to do something - sometimes he looks at the children of non-believers and feels real anger, wants to kill those children. But we must save ourselves for the act that will have real impact.”
Singing about IS Leader Al Baghdadi
The suspect seems cautious of the authorities. When asked by the police infiltrator if he thought his phone was being monitored, he replies: ‘(. . .) I believe without a doubt that it is, brother. Alhamdulillah, I have nothing there. I used to download a lot of videos and was always watching...was always in contact with the brothers in Ukraine. Not here now.’
The suspect states that he follows the news about IS via Telegram. Recorded communications also reveal that in June 2023, when he is alone in the car, he sings loudly a nashid about Al-Baghdadi as a great leader and that the love of jihad comes from faith.
Attack Potential
Even though there was no concrete attack imminent, the OM is clear that with his arrest, the attack potential that the suspect has built up would eventually materialize. What the suspect has done is an extraordinarily serious form of participation in IS. Therefore, a long prison sentence is appropriate, according to the prosecutors:
What the suspect has done is exactly what IS needs to pose a significant threat in the West, even after the fall of the caliphate. It creates a reservoir of attackers who can be deployed when the time is ripe. And when that moment comes, the suspect would have immediately acted, there is no doubt about that.