Dutch clear five of twelve detained terror suspects

[News_Editor]

Dutch clear five of twelve detained terror suspects

2010-12-27 20:20:38 GMT+7 (ICT)

ROTTERDAM (BNO NEWS) -- Police in the Netherlands on Sunday released five Somalis who were suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in the country, prosecutors said on Monday. Seven others remain in jail.

The twelve Somali suspects were arrested on Friday evening and a telephone shop and four homes were searched in the city of Rotterdam, while two motel rooms were searched in the municipality of Gilze en Rijen, not far from the city of Tilburg near the border with Belgium.

Prosecutors said the arrests followed a report from the country's General Intelligence and Security Service (AVID). "In the report it is said that a number of Somalis want to carry out a terrorist attack in the Netherlands in the short term," the statement said.

No weapons or explosives were discovered during the searches, and authorities identified the suspects as men between the ages of 19 and 48. Six of them live in Rotterdam, one of them is from Denmark, and the other five have no known address.

On Sunday, five of the twelve were released. "The investigation [..] has found no evidence for their involvement with criminal offences," prosecutors said in a statement, adding that they were no longer accused of being linked to terrorism.

The other seven suspects remain imprisoned and prosecutors will decide on Monday whether they should face a judge or be released. "The [actions] firstly focussed on the prevention of a possible attack," a statement said.

There have been several terrorism-related arrests in the Netherlands this year. Last month, several terror suspects were arrested in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands and are accused of having plotted to carry out a terror attack in Belgium.

In September, Dutch authorities arrested a British citizen of Somali ancestry at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on suspicion of being linked to terrorism. He was released later without charges.

And in August, two Americans were arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport after suspicious items were found in their luggage. It later turned out to be a misunderstanding, and the men were released without charges.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-27

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