The nine men who were arrested in Eindhoven on suspicion of terrorism last September must appear in court from Thursday. For the handling of the extensive criminal case, thirteen court days have been set aside in November, December and also in January next year.
The case came to light because the Public Prosecution Service had received signals that the people of Eindhoven were planning an attack. The group had rented a garage box in Eindhoven for a year to work out in, because the gyms were closed due to the corona measures in force at the time.
According to the OM, the box was a training center where the group prepared itself physically and mentally for an attack in the spirit of the violent jihad.
‘A silly conversation’
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the group members, ranging in age from 19 to 32, regularly watched IS films and instructional videos about making weapons and bombs together. They would have spoken about a bomb attack at chip company ASML in Veldhoven. They would also like to kill Geert Wilders, Mark Rutte and Thierry Baudet and sympathize with the terrorist group IS.
Ultimately, no weapons or explosives were found. Research also showed that there were no concrete plans or dates for an attack. The people of Eindhoven themselves deny emphatically from the start. According to them, it was just wrong and bad jokes from a group of acquaintances who trained together. A ‘cheesy conversation’, one of the lawyers called it.
The lawyers had previously indicated that, as far as they were concerned, the Public Prosecution Service had made the case much too big.
Experts
Last May, seven suspects who were still detained at the time were released from pre-trial detention. The Public Prosecutor then announced that experts judged, among other things on the basis of conversations with the suspects, that there was no ‘ideological legitimation of violence’.
The suspects would also not support terrorist organizations, which the Public Prosecution Service initially thought. On the contrary. “We see no reason to doubt the experts’ judgments,” the prosecutor said.
All hearings take place in the extra-secure court at Schiphol or the Bunker in Amsterdam-Osdorp. When the sentencing demands will be pronounced, and when the court will rule, is still unknown.
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