The trial of two Albanians who allegedly shot at police during a raid in Sittard is not going ahead.

The two suspects are in Albania and have been banned from entering the Netherlands.

Blunder

On Nov. 23, 2017, an arrest team raided a property on Nusterweg in Sittard. Due to a mistake, the officers were initially at the wrong address, and three innocent people were taken from their beds. When the police finally raided the right property with hemp nursery, the officers were fired upon.

Attempted manslaughter

Eight people were arrested, two of whom are suspected of attempted manslaughter. They allegedly targeted officers. The suspects dispute that, but remained detained for months. Late last year, a court ruling released them, after which they both traveled to Albania.

No waiver

Lawyer Ivo van den Bergh of one of the suspects said his client insisted on attending the case. "We still tried to get a waiver so he could attend the case but time was too short for that. The case has therefore been stayed."

Why the IND barred the two Albanians from entering the Netherlands is also unclear to the lawyer.