Dutch Plan to Seize Passports of Suspected Jihadists
The Dutch government said Friday it wants to strip jihadists who go to fight in Syria or Iraq of their passports, even if they have not been convicted of a crime.
The move came amid growing fears that Western fighters who joined the Islamic State (IS) and other extremist groups in the Middle East will return home to carry out attacks.
"The law will be toughened with the aim of withdrawing Dutch nationality from jihadists who have joined an armed terrorist group, even without a criminal conviction," the government said in a summary of a letter to parliament from Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten.
The action could however only be taken against Dutch citizens with dual nationality, as "no one should be left stateless", the government said.
Many Dutch Muslims from immigrant families have dual nationality, particularly Moroccan.
"Taking away Dutch nationality means these people are no longer welcome in this country, that they cannot return," Opstelten told journalists in The Hague.
"I will submit the draft law this afternoon," he said.
Announcing a national action plan to prevent Dutch citizens traveling abroad to wage jihad and to deal with them on their return, the government said anyone "trained in a terrorist camp" or who helps recruit fighters could also be stripped of their nationality.
An estimated 130 Dutch citizens have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq, Dutch authorities say. Around 30 have returned while 14 were killed in the fighting, according to the Dutch intelligence service AIVD.
Dutch jihadists have carried out at least one suicide attack in Syria and one in Iraq, according to the Dutch NCTV counter-terrorism agency.
Several people have been arrested allegedly on their way to fight jihad, with Opstelten saying on Friday that he had canceled 29 Dutch passports to prevent would-be jihadists traveling.
Dutch counter-terrorism chief Dick Schoof said in June that recent military successes by IS would encourage a new wave of European Muslims to go and fight in the Middle East.
Source: Agence France Presse
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