Highlights
-Dutch Moroccan shot dead by police; linked to “Hoftstad” terror group
-AVID announces number of radical Dutch Muslims extremists increasing
-Dutch government announces four-year plan to combat radicalization among country’s immigrant Muslim youth
-Islamist extremist supporters will continue to challenge Dutch authorities in near-term
On October 15, 2007, Dutch police shot dead a mentally unstable man in Amsterdam after he knifed two officers. The attacker purportedly had ties to members of the extremist terror organization the “Hofstad Group” responsible for the 2004 murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh .
Previously, on October 9, 2007, the Dutch Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) announced an increase in the number of radical Muslims residing the country. In a published report, the AIVD touted the rise of an, “extremely intolerant and anti-democratic” movement in the nation. Additionally, the report, presented to Dutch Home Affairs Minister, Guusje ter Horst, asserts increasingly professional leadership characterizes Muslim neo-radicalism.
We believe despite continual crackdowns on suspected Islamist extremists and sporadic successes in anti-terrorism raids, trials, and subsequent convictions, the current trend of Islamist extremist supporters residing and operating in the Netherlands will continue to challenge Dutch authorities in the near-term.
Dutch Moroccan Extremist Killed
On October 15, 2007, Dutch authorities shot and killed 22-year-old Dutch citizen, Bilal B., after he knifed two police officers. Police shot Bilal B. after two officers were seriously injured with a knife outside a Slotervaart police station, an Amsterdam district known for its large immigrant populace. The Dutch Moroccan was among several individuals interviewed as witnesses following the arrest of members connected to the “Hofstad Group” on October 14, 2005. Purportedly, the deceased had suicidal tendencies and had suffered from severe mental illness. He had been convicted previously for a number of violent offenses.
The Slotervaart suburb where the incident occurred was also home to Mohammed Bouyeri, a radical Muslim now serving life in prison for the November 2004 stabbing and murder of Dutch filmmaker, Theo van Gogh . Purportedly at the center of the “Hofstad Group,” a known radical Muslim terror organization, Bouyeri was also suspected of plotting bomb attacks against Dutch government targets.
Government Reports Extremism on the Rise
On October 9, 2007, the Dutch Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) published findings indicating a marked increase in the number of radical Dutch Muslims residing on the country. The report discusses an, “extremely intolerant and anti-democratic” movement is growing.
Additionally, the report states increasingly professional leadership is contributing to the fresh face of today’s Muslim neo-radicals. According to the AIVD report, approximately 15 to 20 Salafist preachers reside in the Netherlands and are active in the country’s 30 to 35 mosques and youth centers. Another 20 Salafist clerics are purportedly currently undergoing training.
The AIVD reports the message of Salafi Muslims, largely characterized as a radical and ultra-orthodox Islamist movement, appeals broadly to some 20,000 to 30,000 of the country’s nearly one million Muslim residents.
At present, the AIVD touts the rapidly emerging Salafist movement to be peaceful and non-violent, however, the chance that violence will eventually be utilized cannot be excluded.
Dutch Launch Plan to Combat Radicalization
In the aftermath of the November 2004 murder of Van Gogh and increasing concerns over domestic Islamist extremism, in August 2007, the Dutch government announced its intention to implement a four-year plan to combat radicalization among the nation’s Muslim youths.
A large part of the plan’s nearly $38 million budget will go towards local governments to support projects designed to keep the country’s immigrant youth from turning against mainstream Dutch society. Interior Minister, Guusje ter Horst announced, “It is the first time that the Netherlands has launched an integral plan involving all eight relevant ministries to combat radicalization and polarization in our society.”
The action plan centers on combining measures already in place in areas such as:
•Education
•Child support
•Anti-discrimination
•Employment
Keeping an Eye on the Netherlands
As we previously reported, Dutch Muslim communities remain disenfranchised and segregated from mainstream Dutch society (Previous Report). Often, individuals seek to isolate themselves by discarding intrinsic Dutch values such as: democracy, religious tolerance, and women’s rights. Thus, Muslim youth in particular, remain at risk for radicalization.
In the years following the 2004 Van Gogh assassination, Dutch authorities continue to ramp up anti-terrorism measures. However, despite continual crackdowns on suspected Islamist extremists and sporadic successes in anti-terrorism raids, trials, and subsequent convictions, we believe the recent trend of Islamist extremist supporters residing and operating in the Netherlands will continue to challenge Dutch authorities in the near-term.
We believe as the country continues to face increasing threat of Islamist extremist terrorism, Dutch legislators will seek to implement far-reaching anti-radicalization measures akin to the 2007 action plan, in an effort to further prevent terrorist attacks from occurring.
The recent arrests and subsequent convictions of individuals suspected of assisting or promoting Islamist terrorism throughout Europe underscore the cultivation of intricate extremist networks within individual European nations, in the Netherlands and across the region.