Public Prosecution Service appeals part of rulings in radical sovereigns case

News report | 15-12-2025 | 15:58

On November 28, the court issued a ruling in the case against 10 suspects. For the OM, it is important that the ‘citizens arrest’ central to the group of radical sovereigns is seen by the court as a terrorist offense. Another relevant court ruling for the OM is that the core group of Common Law Nederland Earth (CLNE) has been designated as a criminal organization, which among other things aims to incite the commission of such a citizens arrest. All this is in line with the position of the OM. 

However, the OM disagrees with several judgments, including those against three suspects who together formed the so-called ‘Deventer group’, and a suspect from Oirsbeek who wrote the plan Operation Enduring Freedom and gave lectures about it.

Deventer group

The three suspects from (the area around) Deventer were actively searching for heavy firearms and had already acquired 10 working firearms. In the three cases, the OM disagrees with the courts judgment that these three men did not form a criminal or terrorist organization. The OM wants these cases to be reviewed on appeal by the court of appeal.

Operation Enduring Freedom

Also in the case of the 60-year-old man from Oirsbeek, who was arrested in Geleen, the OM has appealed. The OM finds that the judgment does not sufficiently explain why the suspect with his plan Operation Enduring Freedom has not at least been guilty of the subsidiarily charged ‘training for committing a terrorist offense’.

Other suspects

In the case of one of the arms dealers, a 28-year-old man from Raalte, the defense has appealed. The OM has also appealed due to the acquittal on the part that he - with the intent to facilitate a terrorist offense - sold a number of weapons to the three men from Deventer with his accomplice. This is an important legal point for the OM to also submit to the court of appeal.  In the case of a 56-year-old suspect from Zwaag, the defense has appealed. The OM has also appealed in his case due to the acquittal for preparing or promoting the commission of one or more citizens arrests.

Sapientes ab Oriente

Finally, the OM accepts the courts judgment regarding Sapientes ab Oriente. The court rules that the ‘Search Warrants’ (arrest warrants) issued by that organization to, among others, local administrators may indeed be perceived as threatening or intimidating by the recipients, but cannot be qualified as a threat (article 285 Penal Code). The OM emphasizes that it will continue to act against threatening and intimidating local administrators.