As you can read somewhat further down, Samir Azzouz was acquitted yesterday of preparing a terrorist attack. So I figured it might be insightful to take a look at the verdict, which contains a list of all the items Azzouz had gathered.

• Maps and/or pictures and/or drawings of several government buildings, including Parliament, nuclear power plant Borssele, the ministry of Defence, Schiphol Airport, Dutch Intelligence Agency (AIVD), Dutch Special Forces HQ

• Notes describing necessities which would be needed to carry out these (terrorist attacks, AD) crime/crimes

• Notes describing routes to these buildings and/or circumvention of the security facilities around these buildings.

• Document entitled 'Advice for those who refrain from strife on the way to Allah', encompassing an explanation of the call for Jihad and martyrhood

• A memorandum containing the address of a website, namely www.geocities.com/m_13dad, which contained a 'Manual for preparation' for the Jihadi ranks, illustrating the use of (amongst others) weapons and/or night vision goggles and/or silencers and/or the fabrication of such and/or guerrila warfare and/or military operations.

• A diary containing the address of a website, www.geocities.com/sluitjeaan (sluitjeaan is Dutch for 'join up with us', AD)

• Notes describing the chemical formula of RDX, an explosive compound

• Discs containing 'video testaments' which rally for the Jihad, the murder of Americans, Jews and non-Arabs

• Files explaing how a Muslim should enter the battlefield

• Two clip holders for automatic firearms

• A silencer for an automatic firearm

• One or more soldered electrical circuits

• A bulletproof vest

• Night vision goggles

• Ammonia

• Hydrochloric acid

Also, Azzouz had travelled to Chechnya before to join up with Islamic militants there. On top of that, the judges were presented with loads of phone taps in which Azzouz spouted Jihadi texts. Nevertheless, the court concluded that 'apparently was more interested in religous extremism' than most people. (Note the absence of the word 'Islam'. I've checked it: the word appears nowhere in the verdict.)

It's a miracle this obviously innocent man hasn't been released sooner.

(Oh, by the way: Azzouz only got three months for unlawful possession of a firearm, rather than the maximum of three years the judges could have dished out if they had felt the DA screwed up in providing enough evidence for the terrorism charges to allow for a conviction, but agreed with the DA's assumptions.)