Three members of Dutch motorbike gang No Surrender are not committing an offence by helping Kurds fight the Islamic State, the public prosecution department says.

The three bikers were reported last week to have gone to Iraq or Syria and will not face charges when they return because they have broken no laws, the public prosecutor says.

The men are said to come from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Breda. One of the men, named as Ron, was shown on local television, speaking Dutch.

A photo on Twitter appears to show the same man with the caption ‘Ron from the Netherlands has joined the Kurds to combat the IS vermin.’

Terrorism

The Netherlands is prosecuting Dutch nationals who join up with Islamic militias, saying they are committing terrorist offences and several people are in custody awaiting trial.

However, Dutch nationals fighting on the Kurdish side would be liable to prosecution if they committed crimes such as torture or rape, news agency AFP quoted the public prosecution department as saying.

Some 70,000 Kurds are thought to be living in the Netherlands.