The seven ‘Turkmen brothers’, with whom the couple worked, were arrested in Germany in July. Image Uli Deck/dpa
Abdusamad A. (29) appeared in court for the first time in Rotterdam on Tuesday, because he is suspected of preparing an attack on behalf of ISKP, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State. His wife Gulzira M. (31), born in Kyrgyzstan, is on trial for complicity in preparatory acts.
The couple previously lived in Ukraine. After the Russian invasion in March 2022, they came to the Netherlands, just like about 4,600 other so-called ‘third country nationals’ (residents of Ukraine with a different nationality).
The couple was arrested in Brabant in July. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the couple was not primarily fleeing Russian bombings, but Abdusamad A. had other motives for traveling to Western Europe: he was allegedly sent to carry out an attack on behalf of Islamic State in the Khorasan Province (ISKP). The name of this Afghan branch of IS refers to the historical region of Khorasan, once part of the Persian empire, which at the time also included part of present-day Tajikistan.
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Anneke Stoffelen is a reporter for de Volkskrant and writes, among other things, about the multicultural society. For the podcast series A Kind of God, she investigated how people end up in a cult.
‘High-profile attacks’
According to the justice department, A. worked with a group of ‘Turkmen brothers’ in Germany. German justice, which arrested seven suspects in July, stated that the group joined forces in June 2022 to form a terrorist organization aimed at “committing high-profile attacks in Germany in the spirit of IS.”
The police tracked down A. thanks to an official message from the AIVD intelligence service. In the investigation that the police subsequently launched, at least three infiltrators were used, it became apparent in court on Tuesday. A. told one of them that he had sworn an oath of loyalty to IS founder Al-Baghdadi. According to the Public Prosecution Service, his terrorist intentions are also evident from the manuals for making explosives that he and his wife had available. A. is also said to have been busy purchasing firearms.
It is remarkable that the judiciary strengthens the accusations against A. with information obtained from the Russian security service FSB. He mentioned A.’s name in 2019 as a person involved in IS attacks. It is exceptional that FSB information is used in a Dutch criminal case. The AIVD virtually no longer cooperates with Russia, except when it concerns suspicions of terrorism.
‘Disbelieving Dogs’
Justice states that Abdusamad A. probably joined IS ‘years ago’. He was reportedly arrested in Turkey in 2017 because he wanted to cross the border into Syria to become involved in the armed struggle there. Turkey then allegedly deported him to Ukraine. It is unclear what exactly his connection with that country is. According to justice, A. led the local branch of ISKP in the capital Kyiv.
A. laughs when he hears the accusations through the Russian interpreter in the courtroom. A little later he starts making unsolicited comments about the prosecutor’s story. The judge looks at him indignantly. “He says there are all kinds of errors in it,” the interpreter explains. ‘Would you like me to translate the swear words too?’ The judge does not consider this necessary. Later it turns out that he called the three judges and the prosecutors ‘infidel dogs’.
After his arrest, the IND immigration service started a procedure to revoke A.’s asylum permit. The lawsuit against him and his wife will probably only be substantively heard next year.
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2023-09-26 19:39:50
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