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WORLD NEWS Friday 25 august 2017
Dutch police detain suspect in concert terror threat

only have sent a threaten- now anymore,” he added.
ing message. “There is no threat because
The 22-year-old man was we have arrested a sus-
being interrogated to de- pect and the information
termine exactly what his about the threat was so
role was in the threat, po- specific on the location of
lice spokeswoman Svet- the event that, with that ar-
lana Westermeijer said. No rest, we can conclude that
charges had been filed yet. the threat is gone.”
The arrest in a town iden- If authorities want to pro-
tified by Dutch media as long the suspect’s deten-
Zevenbergen, south of Rot- tion, they will have to ar-
terdam, came hours after raign him at a closed-door
police canceled a perfor- hearing with an investi-
mance Wednesday night gative judge before the
by the Los Angeles band end of Friday, prosecution
Allah-Las at a converted spokeswoman Jeichien de
grain silo in the heart of the Graaff said.
port city. Police searched the man’s
“The suspicion is that the home after his arrest but
suspect is involved in the released no details of
preparation of a terrorist anything they found. His
Police officers watch as spectators are checked by security guards as they enter a club for a attack,” Rotterdam Police identity wasn’t released,
concert by the American Allah-Las rock band, in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. The Chief Frank Paauw said. in line with Dutch privacy
band’s concert in Rotterdam, The Netherlands was cancelled at the last minute by the police on “There is no terror threat guidelines.q
Wednesday due to a terror threat.
(AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)
By MIKE CORDER and questioned him on sus-
SYLVAIN PLAZY picion of preparing an at-
Associated Press tack on a concert in Rotter-
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands dam by an American rock
(AP) — Alerted by a de- band.
tailed tip from Spanish But the Dutch justice min-
colleagues, Dutch police ister suggested later in the
arrested a man Thursday day that the suspect may
Report: Spain shared info about

attack cell leaders with Belgium

By ARITZ PARRA conducted by The Associ-
Associated Press ated Press.
MADRID (AP) — Spanish The chief of the Interior de-
authorities shared infor- partment in the Catalan
mation with Belgium more regional government, Joa-
than a year ago about the quim Forn, acknowledged
alleged cell leader in last Thursday that Belgian po-
week’s Spain attacks, but lice in Vilvoorde made an
didn’t have any details at informal request for infor-
the time to indicate he was mation on the imam in
dangerous, officials said 2016, when Es Satty spent
Thursday. three months in the city
Abdelbaki Es Satty, an known for Islamic State
imam who is blamed for group recruiting.
recruiting young Muslims in Forn said police gave their
a Catalan town to commit Belgian counterparts what
attacks in Barcelona, had they had but at no point
served a four-year prison had anyone told them Es
term for drug trafficking in Satty had been investigat-
2012 and had been ques- ed or was dangerous. The
tioned as early as 2006 in a exchange was described
national police operation by another Catalan offi-
against jihadism. cial, who spoke on condi-
But the Catalan police offi- tion of anonymity to discuss
cer who answered an infor- an informal conversation
mal request of information between two police of-
from Belgium in early 2016 ficers. Es Satty was one of
didn’t have the complete two suspects that died in a
records on Es Satty, ac- blast at a house in Alcanar
cording to the remarks by on Aug. 16 which disrupted
high ranking police and the cell’s plan to set off
government officials in bombs at high-profile tar-
Catalonia and interviews gets in Barcelona.q