Annual Report 2002 published

The threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism is substantial. Despite the successes recorded in the struggle against such terrorism, Islamic terrorist networks remain capable of perpetrating attacks all over the world, thereby dislocating societies as a whole or in part.

This is stated in the Annual Report 2002 of the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) submitted to the Lower House on 29 April 2003 by the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Johan Remkes.

The threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism is substantial. Despite the successes recorded in the struggle against such terrorism, Islamic terrorist networks remain capable of perpetrating attacks all over the world, thereby dislocating societies as a whole or in part. This is stated in the Annual Report 2002 of the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) submitted to the Lower House on 29 April 2003 by the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Johan Remkes.

Radical Islamic networks are also active in the Netherlands, where they are engaged in support activities of a financial, material and logistical nature. They also recruit young Moslems for the jihad - the holy war waged against enemies of Islam. In December 2002 the AIVD reported that several dozen young people were already involved in a recruitment process in the Netherlands. On the basis of AIVD information a number of arrests have been made since 11 September 2001 for suspected involvement in terrorism. The AIVD accordingly refutes the image of the Netherlands as a country that tolerates terrorists or potential terrorists.

The assassination of Pim Fortuyn and subsequent period in which politicians and others were subjected to threats meant that the Netherlands lost its innocence. A new system of monitoring and security to increase safety in the public domain is to be introduced in 2003.

The integration of, in particular, the Islamic community in the Netherlands is not without its tensions. The AIVD has identified a number of trends in response to this. In the Moslem community itself for example there are signs of an emancipatory movement, which can sometimes express fundamental criticism of Moslem behaviour. In addition there is an emerging movement emphasising a separate Moslem identity. One group giving voice to that trend is the AEL. According to the AIVD this movement may pose a security risk when it plays on ethnic and religious sentiments.

As a result of the Iraq issue and the revelations about North Korea's nuclear programme, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is now high on the international agenda. The AIVD notes that high-risk countries such as India, Pakistan, North Korea, Syria and Iran are increasingly cooperating in this field and exchanging information. According to the AIVD this makes international cooperation in order to counter the production of weapons of mass destruction increasingly necessary.

In the field of violent political activism the AIVD notes that there are signs of a revival of antimilitarism as a result of the war in Iraq. In addition there has been an increase in violence against both property and individuals within the animal rights movement, a particular target in the Netherlands being the Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC) in Rijswijk.

Since 11 September 2001 the AIVD has paid special attention to the security of vital sectors of society. Under the Terrorism and Security Action Plan, the AIVD has for example taken part in a project to protect the vital infrastructure. In addition recommendations had been issued concerning the security of the drinking water supply, maritime shipping, ports and civil aviation.

Download the Annual Report 2002