The Murder of Theo van Gogh and the Islamic Jihad Division ('Divisie Islamitische Jihad') in the Netherlands

Abstract

ABSTRACT The attacks on the people of London in 2005 by persons representing Muslim extremism were unprecedented, unexpected and unique in the respect that they were ‘attacks from within’. The loss of life was the highest number of deaths (52) in a violent attack within Britain since the Second Word War. This raised the issue as to how nations protect themselves against such attacks where intelligence is nonexistent and perpetrators are apparently hitherto model citizens. All this must then be coupled with the complexity, in policing and security terms, of responding to the new threat of suicide bombers (as in London in 2005). We examine here the experiences of the police and security services in the Netherlands, and elsewhere, with regard to the activities of Islamic extremists whose actions led to the globally publicised assassination of Theo van Gogh and other threats of terror. In particular, we examine the reasons for the ‘conversion’ of young second or third generation immigrants who appear to be integrated but who turn to radicalism.