The Dutch military guards traffic tunnels during the September 2001 bomb threats

As Europe tightens its counter-terrorism measures in the aftermath of the Madrid bombings, a lecturer with Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Ko Colyn, said the Netherlands is an open society and easily accessible to terrorists.

"The Netherlands is a very suitable target in the eyes of terrorists. The system is open and it is an easily accessible society with lots of targets," Colyn said.

He said Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam would be relatively easy to bomb and that the underground tunnels near the nation's main international airport are easy to get to. Colyn also pointed out that Rotterdam harbour would be a suitable target.

Military expert Michael Richardson also warned earlier this month that large harbours — including Rotterdam — are probably the next target of terrorist network Al Qaeda. He said it would be relatively simple to detonate a bomb containing radioactive material on a ship.

Speaking at a conference in Singapore, he said sooner or later Al Qaeda or another terrorist organisation will get its hands on a nuclear device or conventional bomb that will be smuggled on a ship and detonated. 
 
But Colyn downplayed talk of a "dirty bomb". He also said despite the fact that ports are an "ideal" target, there have never been "definite" indications that Al Qaeda is planning an attack on Rotterdam. The port has nevertheless sharpened security.

The defence correspondent for weekly Dutch newspaper Vrij Nederland also said a normal explosive device detonated at Rotterdam could have the effect of a small weapon of mass destruction and "cause panic and angst".

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