The public prosecutor accused eight ‘sovereigns’ of preparing terrorist crimes, participation in criminal organizations and possession of weapons. Two arms dealers who supplied the firearms also stood before the multiple criminal chamber in Rotterdam. At the end of October, the public prosecutor demanded prison sentences of between two and seven years for the ten suspects.
But the judges came to a different verdict on Friday in the extra-secure court in Rotterdam, where the public gallery was full of sympathizers of the suspects.
Justice had demanded the highest punishment against the members of the so-called ‘Deventer Think Tank (DDT)’. The trio Arjan van den B. (46), Gerard ten H. (66) and Kornelis Z. (52) were each sentenced to seven years in prison. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the meetings of this group had a “secret” character. “What actually happened there is not clear in the file,” the court said. Although statements were made in chat conversations about making ‘citizen arrests’, the court found that “it does not sufficiently show that DDT was an organization that wanted to commit terrorist crimes.”
Criminal organization
The three were therefore acquitted of participating in a criminal organization. The court did impose prison sentences for the possession of firearms. Kornelis Z. and Gerard ten H. received sixteen and eighteen months in prison respectively. Arjan van den B. received a two-year prison sentence because he was also active in the criminal organization Common Law Netherlands Earth (CLNE).
The core group of the CLNE is a criminal organization, the court ruled. “This is because of the clear organizational structure.” The CLNE appointed sheriffs who looked for supporters per region and meetings were organized. “There were calls to overthrow the current government by arresting and trying authorities. This calls for deprivation of liberty with terrorist intent,” the court said.
Neeltje de B. (67) was in this core group and had a coordinating role. She was sentenced to one year in prison, of which 190 days were suspended, and she was given 190 hours of community service. Another ‘leader’ within the CLNE was 55-year-old Marco M., who recruited the ‘sheriffs’. He also chatted with Arjan van den B. about the purchase of firearms. “The bananas have arrived,” was chatted. Marco M. was given a prison sentence of sixteen months, four of which were conditional.
The two arms sellers received the highest punishment. According to the court, both had “no terrorist intent”, but Rinke L. and Matthijs H. received a prison sentence of 42 and 36 months respectively for trading in the firearms.
A couple from Geesteren, Angela K. (60) and Johan R. (63), were acquitted of participation in a criminal organization. According to the court, the local group ‘Sapientes-ab-Oriente’ that they formed wanted to “make a stand against the established order”. They did this by sending ‘arrest warrants’ to local officials. “That may seem intimidating, but there was no threat of violence.” Johan R. did receive a community service order of 120 hours for possession of illegal fireworks.
Arjan B. was also acquitted for drawing up and presenting his own emergency plan, in which, according to the Public Prosecution Service, he provided training to commit a terrorist crime. The judges do not agree with the Public Prosecution Service’s suspicions. “The ideas that appear in presentations and in the emergency plan can lead to anti-institutional actions that are threatening to society. But no explanation is given about the implementation. The emphasis was on providing assistance during emergencies,” the court ruled.
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