Five Arrested on Charges of 'Terrorist Crimes' in the Netherlands

Dutch and German security forces say they have arrested five individuals on charges of committing 'terrorist crimes' in the Netherlands. The Dutch police report that four of the suspects were arrested in Rotterdam following security operations in various areas. German officials have also announced that another individual was arrested in Mainz, the capital of the Rhineland-Palatinate state. According to German police, the arrested individual intended to join attacks that were planned to take place in the Netherlands. The person arrested in Mainz is 26 years old, but the police have not disclosed further details about his identity. The statement from Dutch security forces does not include specific details about the detainees. Dutch police stated that investigations 'focusing on the nature and magnitude of terrorist threats' will continue in the coming days. The Netherlands has largely been spared from major attacks that have occurred in Europe in recent years, although there have been instances of such attacks or their 'neutralization' in the country. Last summer, a 19-year-old Afghan citizen residing in Germany stabbed two American tourists in the busy and touristy area of Amsterdam; police shot and wounded him before arresting him. In September, Dutch security forces reported the arrest of seven individuals and the 'neutralization' of a 'major attack' on civilians, stating that a large cache of materials and equipment for making explosives was found. With the New Year approaching and the celebrations that accompany it, security forces in Europe are usually on high alert. On December 20, Sharif Shakat, 29, killed four people, including an Afghan refugee, a Thai tourist, an Italian journalist, and a French citizen, and injured 13 others in a shooting attack at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, France. A large-scale operation to search for Shakat ultimately ended two days after the incident, with the attacker being killed. However, French police had stated that they were searching for his accomplices. One day after the attack in Strasbourg, the group known as the Islamic State, ISIS, referred to Shakat as their 'soldier' in a Twitter message; however, the French Interior Minister described this message as fake and 'completely opportunistic.'