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18 November 2004
AMSTERDAM — The two men arrested after a house siege in The Hague are accused of plotting to kill Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen and Muslim alderman Ahmed Aboutaleb, a defence lawyer has revealed. The suspects also face charges of planning to kill two MPs who have criticised Islam.
They were arrested after a 12-hour stand-off with police in the Laak district of The Hague on 10 November. The siege began when two hand grenades were thrown at a specialist police arrest team as it tried to storm the mens’ home.
Police eventually ended the siege by using tear gas to overpower the occupants of the house.
The raid was ordered by detectives investigating Islamic extremism in the wake of the murder of filmmaker and critic of Islam Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam on 2 November.
A lawyer for Jason W, one of the suspects, said a provisional indictment filed against the men charged then with attempting to kill the arrest team. They are also charged with plotting to kill MPs Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Geert Wilders, as well as Cohen and Aboutaleb.
Justice officials have declined to comment on the lawyer’s claims.
[Copyright Expatica News 2004]
Subject: Dutch news