“It is only logical that someone should be allowed to await his trial in freedom,” says his lawyer Yehudi Moszkowicz. “It is good that the court shows that no distinction is made between cases, even if the alleged victim is the prime minister.”
Yavuz O. (22) was arrested in October. Justice suspects him of threats, incitement and gathering intelligence for a terrorist crime. He wrote on the public Telegram channel Batavian Republic and Freedom without Uniform that he would shoot Prime Minister Rutte.
He also sought allies to storm parliament with deadly force. The Public Prosecution Service closed the Batavian Republic because of all the threats that could be read there. The channels were full of conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and the insertion of chips into people who are getting vaccinated.
‘warriors’
O. did not stop at words, but also seemed to take concrete steps towards a terrorist act. The Public Prosecution Service believes that he was looking for allies and ‘combatants’ to storm parliament jointly and with deadly force. He also talked about ‘shooting’ the ministers and about ‘shooting’ the prime minister when he was on his bike.
Search terms for weapons such as “uzi” and “1.62 pistol” were found on O.’s phone. He also searched for ‘professions where you can carry a gun’. “The entire royal family can eat bullets too.”
When the police questioned him, he did not back down. “If I had had a gun, I would have done it,” he said in the interrogation.
‘Language’
It was all muscle and boasting, said his then-lawyer Priya Soekhai. “It was not my intention to write such texts,” said O. himself about his threatening statements on the chat channel. “I’m looking for friendship, I’ve never had real friends. I shouldn’t have handled it that way, I’m very confused with myself. I said it all reluctantly actually.”
O. sprinkled incendiary texts. On December 5, 2020, he wrote to the Batavian Republic about a ‘C4 bomb’ (a military malleable explosive). ‘We are gradually moving towards a serious organisation, I take it? (…) Yo men, shall I arrange more serious men? (…) Something must be done about this. Because I experience reality with you, I have decided to destroy the old world and be the founder of a thriving new one with you there.’
‘Civil war’
On December 11, he continued: “I think we need serious people who have the guts to shoot, you know?” A day later he writes next to a photo of the ministers and the king: ‘Would you have what it takes to shoot them all? Gwn from a car. Open window. Gun out. And blast it.’
In May last year he spoke of a ‘civil war’, ‘storming parliament and cleaning up the mess with deadly force’. ‘Get fighters first, not just fighters, serious people who want to do something (…) I’m not looking for protesters. I’m looking for revolutionaries. Shooters/hitters/arms/violence. Everything allowed.’
It is not yet clear when the case will be dealt with.