Dutch authorities arrested seven new suspected members of the Hofstad group terrorist cell on Friday and eliminated "an acute threat" to several politicians and the intelligence services, Interior Minister Johan Remkes said.
The arrests led to heightened security measures in the Netherlands around the government buildings in central The Hague, which were sealed off by police, and the AIVD intelligence service headquarters. Remkes told a press conference that the seven suspects arrested Friday were members of the Hofstad group. Already the Dutch authorities have 13 people in custody awaiting trial on charges of belonging to the group, including the convicted murderer of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh.
"The intelligence services have established that despite earlier arrests this network has continued its activities. The group has grown in size in the last year and does not only consist of young men but also of young women," Remkes said.
Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner appealed for calm and said the Muslim community in the Netherlands should not be blamed for the actions of the suspects.
"Everything points to the fact that the suspects acted and wanted to act based on an extreme religious ideology. I want to stress that this is a handful of people who, in my opinion, abuse the Islamic faith to justify their actions," he said.
The suspects, six men and a woman, were arrested in The Hague, Amsterdam and nearby Almere, the national prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The main suspect according to the authorities is 19-year-old Samir Azzouz, who in April this year was acquitted of charges of planning terrorist attacks because of insufficient evidence.
"Information of the AIVD intelligence service showed (Azzouz) was trying to get automatic firearms and explosives," the prosecutor's office said.
"He is suspected of preparing attacks, together with other persons, on several politicians and government buildings."
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