Dutch Police Release Yemeni Terror Suspects
The 2 Yemeni men that were arrested as potential terror suspects in the Netherlands after a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Schiphol International Airport have now been released. Dutch authorities said on Wednesday that they were freed after being cleared of doing anything wrong. Prosecutors said that there was no evidence to support the initial accusation of a terrorism threat, so there was no reason for them to be held any longer.
The men - Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al-Soofi and Hezem al-Murisi - had been detained since Monday on suspicion of plotting a terrorist act, but they were never formally charged. US law enforcement sources say that they were trying to test airport security in the country by putting electronic devices taped to bottles in their checked luggage. However, government officials said that an initial investigation showed no evidence of terrorism and no indication they knew each other.
It had looked like they did knew each other, though. A total coincidence saw the two miss their flights in Chicago due to a gate change. The airline then rebooked them on the same flight to Amsterdam instead, but the checked baggage was already headed to its original destination.
Although the men probably don’t think of it this way, both national authorities wanted to be cautious and check everything to ensure there wasn’t anything going on. This comes after numerous terrorist attacks, most recently the Christmas Day bomber who tried to blow up a US flight but failed. Security around the world has really been tightening since then, especially since terrorist groups have threatened to attack by plane again, like they did on 9/11.
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