Terrorist threat averted in Amsterdam

Puffin13 · Post by **Puffin13** » Fri 13th Mar 2009 06:33 am

Terrorist threat averted in Amsterdam - link with 2004 Madrid train bombing
March 12 2009

This evening it became clear that a terrorist attack on large department stores in Amsterdam South-East may have been averted.

Around yesterday midnight, the Amsterdam police received a phone call about a terrorist attack against the large stores in the shopping area around Arene Boulevard and the near-by IKEA store. The stores are among the largest and busiest stores in Amsterdam.
A concert in the Heineken Music Hall (also along Arena Boulevard) was cancelled, and the Pathé Cinema there was closed too.

This morning, it was decided that the stores, and some offices in the area, were to be completely evacuated and remain closed for the day.

In the course of this evening it became clear Amsterdam may have escaped a terrorist attack. During the day, 4 addresses in Amsterdam were searched, and 7 arrests were made.
All 7 persons, one woman and 6 men in the ages between 19 and 64, were Dutch people of Moroccon origin.

One of the 7 persons arrested is a family member of one of the participants in the metro bombing that happened in Madrid on March 11, 2004 - exactly 5 years ago (see Wikipedia about this attack).

Research showed that the phone call to the police was made from Brussels, Belgium, with a pre-paid phone. Several houses were also searched by the Belgian police.

At the moment the investigations are still going on, and more house searches and arrest are not excluded by the police.

It is yet unclear whether the shops in the Amsterdam Arena Area can open tomorrow.

The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism (www.nctb.nl) said it sees no reason to change the current threat level for the Netherlands. This level has been 'Substantial' for the last few months. 'Substantial' is the one but highest level. It means that a terrorist attack can occur, based on the fact the Netherlands are mentioned on terrorist web sites that are to be taken seriously.

Source

Kingdoc · Post by **Kingdoc** » Fri 13th Mar 2009 09:13 am

Yea i read about one of them being a relative to the madrid lot.

sh@dy · Post by **sh@dy** » Fri 13th Mar 2009 01:20 pm

well, thats always the other side of a country with many cultures.....

Kingdoc · Post by **Kingdoc** » Fri 13th Mar 2009 01:22 pm

Yea thats the flip side to multiculturalism

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sh@dy · Post by **sh@dy** » Fri 13th Mar 2009 01:25 pm

Kingdoc wrote:Yea thats the flip side to multiculturalism .

thx for the correction....I didnt know this word existed in english as well

its "multikulti" in german

Kingdoc · Post by **Kingdoc** » Fri 13th Mar 2009 02:11 pm

sh@dy wrote:
Kingdoc wrote:Yea thats the flip side to multiculturalism .
thx for the correction....I didnt know this word existed in english as well
its "multikulti" in german

No problem

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Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Sat 14th Mar 2009 06:43 pm

LOL god sake its a walk in the park...try living in Belfast

HasAnyoneSeenMyPipe · Sun 15th Mar 2009 11:30 am

Bloody right used to be a daily occurance for us.

Sir Niall of Essex-sire · Sun 15th Mar 2009 12:47 pm

craig_ulsterman wrote:LOL god sake its a walk in the park...try living in Belfast

Too right. Although you guys also bombed london , so its not like we got off completely.

SoulRider · Post by **SoulRider** » Mon 16th Mar 2009 08:52 am

Sir Niall of Essex-sire wrote:
craig_ulsterman wrote:LOL god sake its a walk in the park...try living in Belfast
Too right. Although you guys also bombed london , so its not like we got off completely.

As they seem to live in Belfast, Northern Ireland, I'm guessing it wasn't 'them' that bombed London, i think you may find that was more to do with the south

Rusty Shackleford · Post by **Rusty Shackleford** » Mon 16th Mar 2009 06:12 pm

True Soulrider mate...I was completly the other side off the scale from the ones that bombed you`s

DC · Post by DC » Tue 17th Mar 2009 01:42 am

If Belfast ever gets to feel fanatical muslim terrorism, they'll think the early 70s was like kindergarden. The only thing that ever made a suicide bomber there ...was faulty wiring.