Amsterdam , Netherlands, January 1, 2011 – The last of 12 Somali men arrested in the Netherlands last week on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack was released on Thursday, the Dutch public prosecutor said.

However, the 29-year-old remains under suspicion along with two other Somalis, aged 44 and 47, and police investigations are continuing, the prosecutor added in a statement.

Police arrested the 12 men on Dec. 24 after the Dutch intelligence and security service AIVD warned that several Somalis were planning an imminent attack in the Netherlands.

No weapons or explosives were found, the prosecutor has said, and the intended target was unknown.

The Somalis have said the authorities had no right to arrest them and are now considering legal action. The case has provoked debate in the Netherlands about the role of the AIVD and whether it acted too quickly.

This prompted a rare public statement from the AIVD which said it had obtained firm indications that four people were possibly planning an attack in the short term.

The AIVD said it had been investigating the possible threat for some time and although the target was unknown, the threat was considered serious enough to inform the public prosecutor.

Source: Reuters

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