Fri, Sep 03, 2010
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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