Two notorious Dutch Syrians - both on the national terror list - appear to have been financed for tens of thousands of euros by their relatives.
The amounts of money were transferred by Youssef El A. (32) from Arnhem and Sulayman R. (27) from Dordrecht. The money went to their fighting jihad brothers, the now-dead Abdelkarim el A. and Syria-based terrorism suspect Hatim R., respectively.
The recipients of the money fought with Jabhat al-Nusra and terror organization IS.
The duo must appear at the Rotterdam District Court tomorrow on suspicion of terrorist financing. They risk up to eight years in prison and a fine of 76,000 euros.
"My client Youssef El A. has made no secret of the fact that he transferred money. He has also stated that to the police. But sending money to a relative staying in an area where people are fighting does not necessarily mean that you are financing terrorism," responded Maastricht lawyer Serge Weening. "My client did not think for a second that he was acting criminally when he transferred that money."
The Arnhem family El A. has been under the magnifying glass of the secret service AIVD for years. Three brothers of this family have been linked to jihadism by the judiciary.
According to prosecutors, the suspects transferred the money through so-called money transfers to middlemen in Turkey. These would ensure, for a percentage of the amount, that the money ended up in Syria. Common practice is ten percent of the money transferred. More relatives of Dutch fighters send money to the conflict zone in this way, they tell De Telegraaf, but formally it is punishable.
Solid act
Money was transferred to Abdelkarim el A. in Aleppo on April 22, July 5 and September 19 last year, a total of 7350 euros. Abdelkarim A. was for a long time the most notorious Dutch jihadist, after he called in a video for a "firm act" against the Netherlands. He made his video call in front of the ruins of a building in Aleppo where Jabhat al-Nusra fighters had been killed, including three Dutch fighters, by a Western bombing. Because of his threat, Dutch soldiers were no longer allowed to travel in uniform on public transport, for fear of attacks.
To Hatim R., currently fighting in Syria, 16,937 euros was transferred by his little brother Sulaymaan in nine so-called money transfers to acquaintances in Turkey. The amounts were transferred over a long period of time. According to the subpoena, the first transfer was made on Sept. 16, 2013 and was immediately a high amount: 4713 euros. The transfers certainly continued until last December. The highest amount transferred was five thousand euros. According to the justice system, this money also benefited terrorist organization Islamic State.
Hatim R. is one of the suspects in the major terrorism trial "Context," which is running these weeks at the court in Amsterdam. He follows the case against him from the caliphate in Syria. Via Twitter, he makes disparaging remarks about the criminal case.
