DUTCH TERROR THREAT LEVEL REMAINS SUBSTANTIAL

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000488 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/UBI, S/CT, D/HS, INR, INL JUSTICE FOR OIA - JFRIEDMAN DHS FOR OIA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PINR KCRM PINS PGOV NL SUBJECT: DUTCH TERROR THREAT LEVEL REMAINS SUBSTANTIAL ¶1. On March 2, Justice Minister Donner and Interior Minister Remkes submitted the National Counter Terrorism Coordinator's quarterly terror threat assessment to Parliament. The report maintained the current threat level in the Netherlands at "substantial," where it has been since June 2005. "Substantial," defined as a realistic threat of an attack, including a suicide attack, is the second highest of four threat levels. ¶2. The report highlighted four trends: - A continuation of radicalization processes among young Muslims of ethnic minority groups, Dutch converts, and, particularly, women; - An increasing radicalization of the prison population; - A growing role of the Internet in radicalization, in particular Jihad recruitment; and - A shift in ideology from the classical violent takfir ideology originally developed in Egypt, to a more western version that permits greater freedom and individualism, lowering the recruitment threshold for a growing group of radicalized youth. ¶3. The report also identified international factors affecting the Dutch threat level: - The prominent role of the Netherlands in international CT efforts; - Prominent mention of the Netherlands in statements by Al Quaeda ideologists. For example, Abu Musab al-Suri's recent fatwa against a several countries included the Netherlands. The report also noted the ambition by some radical Muslims to set up a Jihad umbrella organization in Northern Africa, which might raise the terror threat in Europe. ¶4. On the positive side, the report also stressed that Muslim communities in the Netherlands were increasingly resisting radicalization and violence in the name of Islam. It noted that moderate and liberal Muslims, as well as more orthodox believers, have increasingly joined the public debate and openly distanced themselves from violent Islamic movements. ¶5. Earlier the same week, on February 27, the Dutch government launched the national "Netherlands Against Terrorism" campaign to inform citizens about what the government is doing to fight terrorism and what they themselves can do. The campaign includes TV and radio spots, a brochure distributed to every household and a website, www.nederlandtegenterrorisme.nl. The website includes information in English. On March 1, the government also opened the new cyber terrorism website through which citizens can report radical statements and hate mails (www.meldpuntcybercrime.nl). ¶6. In a March 2 press interview, National CT Coordinator Joustra said there are 15 to 20 terrorist networks in the Netherlands. He warned that the heavy media attention on the Hofstad group could mask the risk posed by other networks. He also noted that his office was investigating the possibility of increasing camera surveillance in public places, such as at Schiphol airport and railway stations, to monitor suspicious activities. He noted that it was necessary to balance the security benefits against concerns about privacy, suggesting that for him, security outweighed privacy. Arnall