A Dutch terror suspect who twice failed to enter Syria has been given a higher jail sentence on appeal, reports RTL Nieuws.

The 24-year-old man from The Hague, known as Martijn N., has been sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment for preparing terrorist crimes and trying to participate in a terrorist organisation.

He had earlier been sentenced to 31 months in jail, some of which was suspended, but the public prosecution service protested that this was too light a sentence.

The court of appeal agreed, saying there was a danger that he would recommence terrorist activities and recommending a longer punishment than the 36 months the prosecutor had demanded.

The man had apparently not shown that he wanted to take part in Dutch society in a constructive way, according to press reports of the case in The Hague. He was also unprepared to follow conditions to mitigate the sentence.

Son of a Dutch father and Tanzanian mother, he reportedly became more extreme in his Islamic beliefs from the age of 18, and tried to enter Syria from Turkey in 2014 and 2016 – even though by this time he was registered as a terror suspect and had seen his passport withdrawn.