Hearings in Holleeder trial moved 02/04/2007 00:00

2 April 2007

AMSTERDAM – Hearings in the case against Willem Holleeder and other suspects were moved to another location this morning after a partially unexploded projectile was found in the high-security court building in Amsterdam-Osdorp. A spokesperson for the public prosecution department announced this.

The high-security building was heavily damaged by one or more explosions at about 3.00 am this morning.

The police found two projectiles that caused the damage but are not saying what types of explosives these were.

Hanneke Festen of the OM says the danger posed by the unexploded projectile was limited. None of the people in the building were in any danger, including the many reporters who are covering the Holleeder trial. In order to avoid any further disruption the hearings were moved to the “regular” court building on the Parnassusweg, Festen said.

Holleeder's lawyer, Jan-Hein Kuijpers, said on the NOS news broadcast on Radio 1 this morning that the explosions at the Osdorp courthouse in no way benefited his client.

Kuijpers said it was in fact an inconvenience that this happened because Holleeder wants his trial to proceed as planned. He is sick and tired of such antics, no one wants to see this kind of thing, Kuijpers said.

The lawyer said that he had no idea who could possibly benefit from damaging the courthouse in Amsterdam-Osdorp.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2007]

Subject: Dutch news