Syrian Suspect Arrested In Netherlands Over Alleged ISIS Plot To Attack Europe

Dutch authorities have arrested a 29-year-old Syrian national on suspicion of belonging to Islamic State and planning a terrorist attack somewhere in Europe, according to prosecutors.

Officials said the arrest followed intelligence gathered from the suspect’s social media activity, which allegedly included threats to carry out an attack at an unspecified European location around the end of the year.

Prosecutors stated that the Netherlands’ intelligence service, the AIVD, identified the online posts that triggered the investigation, though they declined to provide further details about the nature of the suspected plot or the evidence linking the man to Islamic State.

The suspect was taken into custody on December 18 at his home in Vlissingen, a city in the southwest of the Netherlands.

A court ruled Tuesday that the man’s detention will be extended by at least 30 days while authorities continue to investigate the case.