Men detained in four locations on suspicion of planning attack with multiple weapons

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Dutch police have arrested seven men suspected of plotting a large attack with hand grenades, automatic weapons and explosives belts, according to prosecutors.

Three of the seven suspects had previously been detained after trying to join foreign militants abroad. The lead suspect was a 34-year-old Iraqi who was convicted in 2017 for travelling abroad to join Islamic State insurgents.

The men, aged 21-34, were detained in four locations across the Netherlands after nearly six months of investigations by authorities.

The suspects came from Arnhem, the port city of Rotterdam and villages close to those two cities. Two others in the group also had convictions related to attempts to travel to Iraq or Syria.

“One of the men from Arnhem wanted to commit an attack with a group at a major event in the Netherlands and kill many victims, according to the Dutch Intelligence Service (AIVD),” the prosecutor’s office said.

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“The suspects were in search of AK47s, handguns, hand grenades, explosive vests and raw materials for several bombs,” they added. The men will be brought before a judge on Friday.

The intelligence service initially tipped off police that the main suspect was targeting “a large event in the Netherlands where there would be a lot of victims”.

A month ago, an Afghan man was shot by police at Amsterdam’s central station after stabbing two American tourists.