Nine Eindhoven men who were suspected of preparing for a terrorist attack will hear today what punishment they will receive. The judge will rule on Tuesday afternoon in the court at Schiphol.
Earlier, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded prison sentences of three and four years for two of them. The others were acquitted. The men were arrested in September 2021 on suspicion of preparing for a terrorist attack. According to the Public Prosecution Service, although there was no concrete target or weapons, the Public Prosecution Service still believed that a terrorist threat had been averted.
That is because the men talked about killing politicians and they sympathised with the terrorist group IS. They also followed shooting training abroad. The fact that they watched and shared violent jihadist (instructional) videos for years also counted heavily.
Months in Vught prison
Nevertheless, the Public Prosecution Service argued in December last year for the acquittal of seven of the nine men. They were considered to be mainly hangers-on who did not want to stand out in the group. They demanded three and four years in prison against two others, who were seen as instigators.
The men have been awaiting their case for freedom since May last year. Two of them were allowed to go home earlier. They were all held between two and eight months in the special terrorist ward of the prison in Vught.
‘Wrong jokes’
The lawyers of the nine previously spoke of ‘bad jokes’ by their clients. According to them, there is no evidence that there was any serious plan. The suspects are highly educated and, according to the lawyers, had their lives on track. “It seems as if highly educated Muslims who immerse themselves in their religion are viewed with extra suspicion,” one of them said during an earlier session.
Source: omroepbrabant.nl
Translate: Ayşenur Kuran
