Two Men Released, U.S. Blamed For Their Arrest

The two Yemeni nationals arrested in Amsterdam Monday after unusual items were found in the carry-on luggage of one of the men have been freed, and a Dutch lawyer is calling the case "disgraceful."

The two were arrested at the behest of U.S. authorities after a checked suitcase belonging to one of the men, Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi, was found to contain some unusual items, including a cell phone taped to a plastic bottle. It also contained a boxcutter and several knives, and it was in the hold of a plane bound for Yemen through DCA. But al Soofi was not on the plane, traveling instead to Yemen from Chicago by way of Amsterdam. al Soofi and another man, Hezam al-Murisi, were arrested in Amsterdam.

The international news service AFP reports that neither man was on a terrorism watch list. While authorities first said the two were carrying out a dry run for an attack, by Tuesday DHS said neither had been charged, and was warning against "jumping to conclusions."

The Dutch authorities said they were acting on intelligence they received from the U.S. In a statement, they said "The information provided to the Dutch authorities was of such a serious nature that no risks could be taken," leading to the detention of the men and the seizure of their carry-on items. The statement said that information from the U.S. had indicated there may have been trace amounts of explosives in the apparently misdirected luggage. Further tests found no explosive residue on the checked items.

The Dutch prosecution service said that, given the lack of evidence, it had no reason to continue to hold the men. Dutch attorney Klaas-Arjen Krikke, told the Dutch news service ANP the situation was "disgraceful." "The Americans, specifically, are responsible," he said.

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