Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06THEHAGUE527
2006-03-10 16:08:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:  

HOFSTAD GROUP RULED A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

Tags:  PTER KCRM KPRP PINR PREL PGOV CASC NL 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5308
OO RUEHAG RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTC #0527 0691608
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101608Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5063
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUCNFB/FBI WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM PRIORITY 0498
UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000527 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/UBI, S/CT, INR
JUSTICE FOR OIA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER KCRM KPRP PINR PREL PGOV CASC NL
SUBJECT: HOFSTAD GROUP RULED A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000527

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/UBI, S/CT, INR
JUSTICE FOR OIA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER KCRM KPRP PINR PREL PGOV CASC NL
SUBJECT: HOFSTAD GROUP RULED A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION


1. (U) The Hague court ruled March 10 that the Hofstad group
was a terrorist organization, because it aimed to incite
hatred, violence, and intimidation, according to press
reports. Nine of the 14 defendants were found guilty of
membership in a criminal-terrorist organization. One of
those convicted is an Amcit. However, the court also ruled
that it had not been proven that the defendants had been
actively planning to commit a violent act, or acts, and
consequently acquitted them on charges of conspiracy to
commit a terrorist act. This is the first time that anyone
has been convicted of membership in a terrorist organization,
under the 2004 Terror Crimes Act, which made such membership
a criminal offence.


2. (U) Jason Walters, Ismael Akhnikh and Nouredine el Fatmi
were also convicted on weapons charges. Walters and Akhnikh
were convicted for throwing hand grenades at the Hague police
in November 2004; Walters was sentenced to 15 years, and
Akhnikh to 13. The prosecution had requested 20 years for
both. el Fatmi was found guilty of having a loaded machine
gun when arrested in November 2004; he was sentenced to 5
years. The court ruled that convicted Theo van Gogh murderer
Mohamed Bouyeri was a member of the Hofstad group; however,
as he is already serving a life sentence, Bouyeri could not
be sentenced to additional time.


3. (U) Jermaine Walters, Jason's brother, was acquitted of
conspiracy charges. This was not unexpected, as the
prosecutor had requested that he be acquitted, due to lack of
evidence (under the Dutch legal system, once a trial has
begun, the prosecution cannot drop charges against a
defendant; the case must still go to the judges for a
verdict). The Walters brothers are dual national
Dutch-American converts to Islam. Three of the nine
convicted were not sentenced to additional jail time; the
sentences given were less than the time that they had already
served in preventive detention.


4. The court also ruled that there was no evidence that the
group had been planning anything concrete to impede the work
of MPs Gert Wilders or Ayaan Hirsi Ali, whom some members of
the group were accused of having threatened.
ARNALL