The kidnappers of a fifteen-year-old boy in Amsterdam may also have had plans to take a fellow victim hostage. Both boys would be responsible for a home robbery in Amsterdam at the end of last year, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced in court on Friday.
During that home robbery on December 18, 2022, tons of cash, expensive watches and a bag were allegedly stolen. The two underage boys were present that evening in the house on Minervaplein in Amsterdam.
The suspicion soon arose that the two boys would have provided information to the perpetrators of the robbery. The fifteen-year-old victim himself says in a statement that he suspects that this is why he was taken against his will on January 10.
His fifteen-year-old boyfriend says in a telephone conversation that he was approached by the owner of the house that it was his fault. Her brother would also have asked the two boys about their involvement.
Whether the police sees the brother as the client for the kidnapping is not clear. The name of this brother was found in the telephone of one of the suspects. This suspect, Faysal A., is said to have played a leading role in the kidnapping.
Kidnapping plans discussed in group app
Finally, in January of this year, the fifteen-year-old victim was dragged into a delivery van in Tweede Jan Steenstraat. The intention was to house him in a holiday home in Langbroek. There he would be questioned about the robbery.
The plans and the execution of the kidnapping were described in detail in a group app. This group app is in the hands of the police after finding a phone on the bus with which the boy was kidnapped. Less than an hour after the hostage-taking, that bus was stopped on the A27 with three suspects and the victim in it.
A total of seven suspects have been arrested. The seventh suspect was arrested on Wednesday. He would have had a supporting role in the kidnapping. A female suspect is said to have lured the victim to the bus. She is later on trial.
The lawyers of some of the suspects argue that it is not at all certain that the kidnapping is a result of the home robbery. Other suspects say they knew nothing about the hostage plans and asked to be released from pre-trial detention.
