At Least 106 Dutch Joined Syria Armed Groups: Woman Arrested for Recruiting Fighters

Local Editor

Dutch authorities arrested Monday a 19-year-old woman suspected of recruiting extremists to fight alongside armed groups in Syria, a prosecution spokeswoman said Monday.

"The woman was arrested and has been remanded for two weeks while an investigation is underway," Nicolette Stoel, spokeswoman for the Public Prosecutor's office in The Hague said.

There is growing concern in the Netherlands about young Dutch being enlisted to fight in Syria, with a British study in April saying at least 107 Dutch citizens were fighting along al-Qaeda affiliated groups in Syria.

Police arrested the woman Wednesday in Zoetermeer, a small city just east of The Hague, after families filed complaints with the authorities that their relatives had gone to fight in Syria.
"In some of the complaints people who are allegedly enlisting fighters are named," Stoel said.
The young woman will remain behind bars for a fortnight before a judge must decide whether the case against her can go ahead.
"At this stage she is only allowed contact with her lawyer," Stoel said.
"In the meantime, a broader investigation into the recruitment by extremists of young people to fight in Syria is underway. First and foremost we have to ensure their safety as they want to travel to a dangerous area."

Public prosecutors have said that while authorities cannot stop would-be extremists from leaving the country, they can combat recruitment, which is against the law and carries a sentence of up to four years in jail or a fine of 78,000 euros [$102,000].

Stoel declined to comment further on the case.

Amsterdam-based lawyer Bart Nooitgedagt, who represents other Dutch citizens accused of recruiting extremists to fight in Syria, told AFP that such cases are difficult to prove.

Nooitgedagt said that as far as he could recall, there have been no successful prosecutions yet for extremist recruitment in the Netherlands.
As many as 600 Europeans may have joined armed groups forces in Syria since early 2011, according to research published in April by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College London.

It was estimated that 134 fighters from Britain have headed to Syria, along 107 from the Netherlands, 92 from France and 85 from Belgium.
Others came from Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Albania, Austria, Bulgaria and Kosovo.

In November last year, Dutch police arrested three would-be extremists who were about to leave the Netherlands.
They confiscated knives, a sword and a crossbow, as well as packed backpacks, farewell letters and a large quantity of religious literature.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team