Trial Of Dutch Moroccan Extremist Begins
Samir Azzouz
Haaretz reports that the highly-anticipated trial against 20-year old Dutch Moroccan Samir Azzouz took off today. Samir Azzouz (I love foreign press: we Dutch are not allowed to use his last name that easily, our press calls him, therefore, Samir A.), is charged with planning terrorist attacks.
Dutch prosecutors say they have gathered fresh evidence and can now use tougher laws in trying to secure a conviction of Azzouz, whose acquittal sparked discussions about how close a suspect must come to detonating a bomb to be found guilty.Amsterdam-born Azzouz was first arrested in a police crackdown which followed the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004 by another Dutch-Moroccan. Ammunition, explosives and sketches of potential targets were found at his home.
He was acquitted in 2005 of charges he planned attacks although he received a three-month prison sentence for possession of weapons, which he served.
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He was rearrested in October 2005 on suspicion of a new plot and faces laws introduced since his first arrest and which are intended to allow militants to be arrested and tried for attacks that security forces believe they plan to carry out.
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Public attention has focused even more intently on Azzouz since Dutch television screened a “martyr” video in which he appeared with weapons, issued threats in Arabic, and urged jihad.
His explanation of this martyr video? It’s something like a joke. We shouldn’t take it ‘seriously’.
That is because Muslim extremists are well-known for their sense of humor, specifically for their practical jokes: making martyr videos, just for fun, is an example of their kind of practical jokes.
Anyway, the Haaretz also reports that he told Dutch TV (I must have missed this myself) last month that the Netherlands are simply paranoid and Islamophobic. So… he is planning on seeking political asylum in Cuba.
Heh.
I am not sure whether he would fit in there; Cuba is very Catholic after all. He’d better go to Iran.
Of course, he is – hopefully – not going anywhere. It is of the utmost importance for our Justice Department / our domestic war on terrorism, that he will get convicted.
For those of you who do not know this: when he was first arrested after the murder of Theo van Gogh it was a gigantic spectacle. What should have been a smooth operation turned into a street-war in The Hague: he and his buddies shot at the police, threw hand-grenades, special units went in, snipers were ready to take them out… we never saw something like that here in the Netherlands – we saw it all happening on TV.
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Michael, “The Haaretz” is a redundancy because the “HA” in Haaretz means “The.” Haaretz = The Land.
MvdG – Haaretz link is a link to TMV, fixit.
I’m sorry? ‘fix it’? And who might You be?
Is this the link you meant to use:
Fix it
I fixed it.
Michael, imagine for one moment he is convicted of all charges, what is the biggest sentence he can serve? I ask because, as I’ve mentioned before, Spain has a ridiculously soft “justice” system, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised that the Netherlands, being famously progressive, would be soft as well.
Theoretically in Spain you could literally kill 100.000 people and be convicted to 3 million years in prison, and you would only serve a maximum of 30 years. The law says that’s the longest anyone can be imprisoned, and no, there are no exceptions. Of course a vast majority of people don’t even have that, since “good behaviour” (not killing/raping your fellow prisoners or maybe doing a little course in something) cuts years of your sentence. I’m fairly certain most murderers don’t do more than 20, and I’m betting most rapists do no more than 5. The population is dead set against this nonsense but as usual the political establishment is tone-deaf.
Terrorists are a whole new species of criminal. At least the US has the death penalty or actual life imprisonment. From what I know of most western European countries, there is a general cuddly feel-good tone to the justice systems that seems to consider criminals as victims themselves.
Thoughts?
It depends. Terrorism ads length to a prison sentence. From the top of my head: 20 years but I am not 100% sure.
From Wiki:
LOL Why question the Democrats and US government if Dutch courts allowed an armed robbery.
Heres how US justice works:
US/ AARP – 3 years
Holland/ Incompetent terrorist – 3 months
Michael – Buy him some boots and Rolaids and ship him to Cuba.
Meanwhile this piece of human excrement got only 28 months.
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Blind_sheik_s_lawyer_g
ets_28_months_10162006.html
Meanwhile this piece of human excrement got only 28 months.
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Blind_sheik_s_lawyer_g
ets_28_months_10162006.html
Michael writes:
This has me curious, do you have links about this gun battle?