Dutch on edge over World Cup terrorism threat
Source: the star
May 20, 2010 Edition 1
Deon de Lange
THE HAGUE: Terrorism experts here have warned that an alleged plot to attack Dutch football players and fans during the World Cup in South Africa is only one of a number of recent terrorism threats to Holland's interests abroad.
This follows reports of a plot by members of al-Qaeda to attack players and supporters from the Netherlands and Denmark with guns and car bombs during the global showpiece next month.
The National Terrorism Co-ordinating Bureau of the Netherlands yesterday said the latest plot came as no surprise and matched a recent security analysis regarding international terror threats to their national interests.
"It is clear that Dutch interests abroad are vulnerable. We have seen this type of story before and are keeping our fingers on the pulse of the matter," the bureau said.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Football Association was awaiting further information before deciding whether to beef up security arrangements for Het Oranje Elftal (The Orange Eleven) and their supporters ahead of the tournament.
The football association's spokeswoman, Renske Bruinsma, yesterday said they would alter existing security measures only if asked to do so by Fifa or the Dutch Foreign Affairs Department, through its embassy in South Africa.
"We heard about (the alleged plot) last night (Tuesday) and are in constant contact with Fifa and our embassy in South Africa. Through our foreign affairs department, which takes the lead in such matters, we will communicate with all role-players before any decision is taken about changes to security plans," she said.
According to the latest figures, more than 5 000 World Cup tickets have been sold to Dutch supporters, only half the number originally anticipated. Supporters have cited high costs and safety fears as the biggest reasons for not travelling to South Africa.
Al-Qaeda militant Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani, a Saudi-Arabian citizen, was arrested in Iraq on May 3 after information gathered during a joint US-Iraqi operation against senior al-Qaeda leaders in the country in April. The raid delivered written documents outlining Qahtani's plans to attack Dutch and Danish players and fans "with guns and car bombs".
"We discussed the possibility of taking revenge for the insults of the Prophet (Muhammad) by attacking Denmark and Holland. The goal was to attack the Danish and the Dutch teams and their fans," Qahtani said in Baghdad on Tuesday.
"If we were not able to reach the teams, then we'd target their fans."
None of the captured documents appear to explain why the Dutch and Danish teams were targeted.
Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard's 2005 cartoon depicting Muhammad in a turban shaped like a bomb sparked outrage across the Muslim world. He was forced into permanent hiding after numerous attempts were made on his life.
The Dutch government has been a staunch supporter of the US in both Iraq and Afghanistan. - Independent Foreign Service
May 20, 2010 Edition 1
Deon de Lange
THE HAGUE: Terrorism experts here have warned that an alleged plot to attack Dutch football players and fans during the World Cup in South Africa is only one of a number of recent terrorism threats to Holland's interests abroad.
This follows reports of a plot by members of al-Qaeda to attack players and supporters from the Netherlands and Denmark with guns and car bombs during the global showpiece next month.
The National Terrorism Co-ordinating Bureau of the Netherlands yesterday said the latest plot came as no surprise and matched a recent security analysis regarding international terror threats to their national interests.
"It is clear that Dutch interests abroad are vulnerable. We have seen this type of story before and are keeping our fingers on the pulse of the matter," the bureau said.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Football Association was awaiting further information before deciding whether to beef up security arrangements for Het Oranje Elftal (The Orange Eleven) and their supporters ahead of the tournament.
The football association's spokeswoman, Renske Bruinsma, yesterday said they would alter existing security measures only if asked to do so by Fifa or the Dutch Foreign Affairs Department, through its embassy in South Africa.
"We heard about (the alleged plot) last night (Tuesday) and are in constant contact with Fifa and our embassy in South Africa. Through our foreign affairs department, which takes the lead in such matters, we will communicate with all role-players before any decision is taken about changes to security plans," she said.
According to the latest figures, more than 5 000 World Cup tickets have been sold to Dutch supporters, only half the number originally anticipated. Supporters have cited high costs and safety fears as the biggest reasons for not travelling to South Africa.
Al-Qaeda militant Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani, a Saudi-Arabian citizen, was arrested in Iraq on May 3 after information gathered during a joint US-Iraqi operation against senior al-Qaeda leaders in the country in April. The raid delivered written documents outlining Qahtani's plans to attack Dutch and Danish players and fans "with guns and car bombs".
"We discussed the possibility of taking revenge for the insults of the Prophet (Muhammad) by attacking Denmark and Holland. The goal was to attack the Danish and the Dutch teams and their fans," Qahtani said in Baghdad on Tuesday.
"If we were not able to reach the teams, then we'd target their fans."
None of the captured documents appear to explain why the Dutch and Danish teams were targeted.
Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard's 2005 cartoon depicting Muhammad in a turban shaped like a bomb sparked outrage across the Muslim world. He was forced into permanent hiding after numerous attempts were made on his life.
The Dutch government has been a staunch supporter of the US in both Iraq and Afghanistan. - Independent Foreign Service
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