Claims surfaced on Monday that a terrorist suspect detained in Utrecht over the weekend is related to the Moroccan family arrested there late last month on suspicion they were in possession of explosives. | What are the odds of that happening, 90 - 10? |
A spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office said the 30-year-old man was arrested on Saturday night and he is being questioned about the alleged movement and possession of explosives.
He is allegedly a relative of the Moroccan family arrested on the night of 26 September in the Bucheliusstraat in the city. The father, mother and their 19-year-old son were arrested in a high profile police operation. But they were released several days later and are reportedly no longer under suspicion. | Key word being "reportedly" |
The couple's 17-year-old son told news agency ANP on Monday that the 30-year-old man arrested on Saturday is his uncle. The man, who lives in Belgium, was visiting the family on Saturday and was arrested when he left the family home. The 17-year-old is confident his uncle will be proven innocent, newspaper De Telegraaf reported. | "He's as innocent as we are.." |
The prosecution has refused to confirm the claims and has not revealed the nationality of the man. Despite this, prosecution has confirmed the man is not a resident of Utrecht, Dutch public news service NOS reported. A decision will be made this week whether the man will appear before a judge, the prosecution said on Sunday. Meanwhile, a Rotterdam judge extended the remand in custody of a terrorist suspect by 10 days on Friday. The 37-year-old man was arrested in Utrecht also on 26 September. The man is also suspected of transporting and possessing explosives and his arrests stems from the same investigation that netted Saturday's suspect. The Moroccan family was also arrested as part of the same investigation. No explosives have been found in the family's house or the 37-year-old's home, newspaper NRC reported. |